Vehicle thefts up during Idul Fitri

JAKARTA: Vehicle thefts around the Idul Fitri holiday recorded a slight increase compared to the same period last year, Jakarta Police said.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said on Thursday that they recorded 249 vehicle thefts during security operations around Idul Fitri, up from 245 over the same period last year.

Police around the country conduct special security operations around Idul Fitri every year. This year, the operations lasted from Oct. 27 to Nov. 10. Idul Fitri, the post-fasting holiday, fell on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4.

"Generally, (police) found nothing that could disturb security in Jakarta during the operation," Ketut was quoted by Antara as saying.

Jakarta Police deployed two-thirds of its 27,000 personnel to secure Jakarta, including monitoring the exodus of some 2.5 million holiday travelers.

"Operations against thugs, gambling, alcoholic drinks and drugs carried out in the past few months have also contributed to the low level of crime around Idul Fitri," he said.

Jakarta Police went on full alert ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday following intelligence reports suggesting that terrorists might use the festivities to launch an attack in the capital. --JP