Visiting Muslim figures robbed in Jakarta
Visiting Muslim figures robbed in Jakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
When representatives of the Rabithah Alam Islami (World Islamic
League) came to Indonesia to counter perceived negative images of
Muslims, little did they realize they would be going home a lot
lighter than when they arrived -- US$300,000 lighter, to be
exact.
Police on Friday were still investigating the theft, which
occurred in the check-in area of the Hotel Borobudur in Central
Jakarta.
"We are very sorry that this incident happened, and we have
conducted a search at the crime scene and checked the hotel's
CCTV recordings for clues," Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen.
Firman Gani said on Friday.
He said that the group -- comprising religious leaders from
the Middle East and Africa -- were checking into the hotel on
Thursday when one of them took out a wad of cash to be exchanged
at the hotel's money changer.
After the cash was placed inside a bag, the person concerned
put the bag down on the floor. The bag was found missing soon
after.
"During questioning, that person refused to say how much money
was stolen, or what denominations it was in, and this makes our
investigations more difficult," Firman said.
The investigations into the case were further complicated by
the language barrier.
"We had difficulty in getting the details of the incident as
they were all speaking Arabic," Central Jakarta Police chief Sr.
Comr. Sukrawardi Dahlan said.
The thieves are still at large.
Firman said that the security of guests of the State should be
assisted both by the guests' liaison officer (LO) and by the
local police, "and the security is for the group, and not for
individuals," he said, adding that police would also question the
LO.
The delegation from Rabithah Alam Islami, led by the
organization's secretary-general, Abdullah bin Abdul Muhsin At
Turki, is here to give lectures on what it terms true Islamic
teachings. Besides a meeting with President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, the group is also scheduled to lecture at the State
Islamic University (UIN) in Jakarta, meet with religious leaders
in Indonesia, and visit Aceh.
"We will investigate this case until we find the culprit.
Hopefully the witnesses' statements, investigations at the crime
scene and the CCTV recordings will make our investigation
easier," Firman said.