P

olice in Batang regency, Central Java, have detained a family accused of stealing kapok (cotton pods) worth around Rp 4,000.

The case is similar to one in which Minah, an elderly woman in Purwokerto, also in Central Java, was sentenced to suspended a one-and-a-half months' imprisonment for stealing three cacao pods recently from a private firm's plantation.

Minah's trial drew condemnation from Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar and many human rights activists.

Batang Police arrested Manise, 39, her two young sons, Jowono, 16, and Rustono, 14, and her cousin Sri Suratmi, 25, - all residents of Kenconorejo village in Tulis.

The four of them were caught carrying a small sack of cotton pods weighing 14 kg, at a plantation run by PT Segayung, a cotton producer in Tulis. They were then reported to police by the company's security guards who accused them of stealing the pods.

Manise told reporters at Rowobelang penitentiary on Wednesday she had no intention of stealing them, but just wanted to glean the leftover pods from the company's harvest.

"I glean the harvest leftovers and sell them. The money I make from the sale is for my sons' pocket money to go to school," she said.

"They will be detained at Rowobelang penitentiary for around a month while awaiting a hearing in court," a relative in Batang, Casmurah, told Antara on Tuesday .

Casmurah said Manise's mother, Rasuti, 60, was left helpless since her daughter was the only breadwinner in the family after Manise's husband died in 2000.

"Grandmother Rasuti can only rely on her neighbors now," he said.

The family had been collecting the cotton pods from a plantation belonging to PT Sigayung, he said.

They had collected the pods because they thought the company had finished its harvest. However, the company maintained this was theft and reported them to police.

Batang Police deputy chief Comr. Sungkono confirmed the arrest of Manise and her family members. The four suspects were charged with violating Article 363 of the Criminal Code on theft, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail.

The police also seized two 3.6-meter long poles, plastic rope and a sickle as evidence for their trial.