Youth organization chief to be tried for gambling
Youth organization chief to be tried for gambling
JAKARTA (JP): Police said yesterday that seven people who were
caught in a raid in a gambling den in West Jakarta late last
week, including the head of a powerful youth organization, will
be tried in court soon.
"We will send them to court according to the existing legal
procedures," City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto, said
at the opening of police cadet education of 1994/95 in Lido, West
Java, yesterday.
Hindarto was commenting on the arrest of seven gamblers Friday
evening at a gambling den in West Jakarta.
Hindarto, expressing his deep gratitude to the public whom he
said had helped police by giving a tip-off on the existence of
the gambling den, promised that the case would be processed
accordingly until the suspects were tried in court.
In a related development Lt. Col. Latief Rabar, a spokesman
for the City Police, in the company of Lt. Col. Gories Mere,
chief of the General Crime Office at the city police
headquarters, told reporters that the arrest of the suspects,
including the head of a youth organization, proved that everyone
was equal in front of the law.
"In front of the law, all people are the same," said Latief.
About the arrest, Mere explained the seven suspects were
caught redhanded playing rummy and macok (a card game) at 9 p.m.
at a gambling den which also functioned as an office and plywood
storehouse on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta.
The suspects were identified as Bud, Sun, Mus, Hal, Har, Ahi,
Ab and Yor, a chief of a prominent youth organization.
Mere said he was perplexed over the coverage of the press on
the case, which he said was very poor due to apparent fear for
personal security as one of the suspects belonged to a powerful
organization.
"We promise to protect you," he told reporters. "I shall call
the Brimob (mobile brigade) officers to protect you in case you
have trouble reporting it."
Tip-off
Mere said that a team of 20 officers led by Capt. Iwan from
the city police headquarters, after receiving a tip-off from an
anonymous person that "Lucky Plaza has moved to Jl. Daan Mogot,
West Jakarta", immediately headed to the house.
The "Lucky Plaza" was a West Jakarta's gambling den raided by
the Bakorstanasda (the Agency for Coordinating Supports for
National Stability) and sealed down in May.
The well-armed officers then stormed the three-story house and
handcuffed all people present at the third story of the premise,
where the gambling was reportedly held.
"There was no resistance at all by the suspects," said Mere.
Police found Bud, Sun, Mus and Yor playing rummy, while the
rest were playing macok.
Another seven individuals, said Latief, including five women,
who were watching the games, were also driven to the city police
headquarters along with the seven suspects.
Police sealed down the facility and confiscated two tables,
several boxes of rummy cards, a set of macok cards, Rp 1,572,000
(US$731.8) in cash, and some pornographic discs and videos in the
mini-theater on the third story of the house, and several boxes
of coins.
The coins were used as gambling money during the play, with
each of them valued at Rp 200 (US nine cents).
Preliminary investigation revealed that the storehouse, owned
by Ab, the suspect in the macok game, had been used as a gambling
den everyday from 8 p.m. to 12 p.m. over the past three months.
If found guilty, the seven suspects can be sentenced to four
years imprisonment or Rp 10 million ($4,657) in fine at maximum.
(jsk)