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House maids arrested for `raising funds' for terrorists
Three house maids arrested recently in Surabaya for stealing may be part of a large money- raising racket set up by terrorist groups, police say
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hree house maids arrested recently in Surabaya for stealing may be part of a large money- raising racket set up by terrorist groups, police say.
Police said that three women working as domestic maids, all with connections to a Central Java terror cell, had stolen items belonging to their employers in separate incidents in Surabaya, Malang (East Java) and Yogyakarta, on June 20 and June 23.
The three were identified as Siti Fatonah, 24, from Sragen in Central Java, and siblings Darwati, alias Nanik, 28, and Mutmainah, alias Nur/Ayu, 25, from Grobogan in Central Java.
Police confiscated from the three suspects a number of documents describing the women's oaths to two organizations - the Indonesian Muslim Women's Military and the Indonesian Islamic State, South Surabaya Police detectives unit chief Adj. Comr. Roni Purwahyudi said.
"The three suspects confessed they had promised a man with the initials SR in Yogyakarta that they would steal to protect mujaheed fighters and that they were willing to join a jihad in the name of God," Roni told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Roni said the police would continue to study the documents. He also said the three suspects had denied they had given SR money.
His team is currently coordinating with the Central Java Police and the police's Detachment 88 anti-terror unit to question terror suspects arrested in a raid in Klaten, Central Java, on Wednesday.
In the raid, Detachment 88 arrested three terror suspects, including most-wanted Abdullah Sunata, and killed another terror suspect named Yuli Karsono.
"We strongly believe the terror group in Central Java has altered their fund-raising methods in that they are no longer resorting to robberies, but have recruited a number of women to assist in their activities," Roni said.
In 2002, Andri Octavia was handed down a 16-year jail sentence for his involvement in a jewellery shop robbery in Banten, the proceeds from which reportedly were used to finance the Oct. 12, 2002, Bali bombing.
Hiring women to steal money to fund their cause would mark a significant change in the strategy of domestic terrorists.
The Surabaya arrest came after a series robberies in Surabaya. A resident in Kupang, Gunung Timur, Surabaya, on May 22, claimed 1 kilogram of gold jewellery and Rp 125 million (about US$12,500) in cash had been stolen from him.
A few days later, a businessman in Surabaya told police Rp 1 billion in cash and Rp 1 billion worth of gold bullion had been stolen from the safe at his home.
As the case developed, the police uncovered a string of burglaries in Surabaya, Malang and other cities in East Java that each stole at least Rp 50 million.
"The suspects went from door to door offering their services as house maids. After being hired and stealing money and valuables, they abandoned their job without notifying their employers," Roni said.
Police believe the syndicate involved more than 10 people and is operating in other provinces in Indonesia.
National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said police in Batam, Riau Islands, were still on high alert for more terrorist activity following the Sunata arrest.
"We are still paying extra attention to a number of terror groups. There are several of them, but I cannot disclose their numbers," Bambang said on the sidelines of the opening of the Lancang Kuning hall at the Riau Islands Police headquarters in Batam.
Separately, the police said they were reconsidering the effectiveness of rehabilitation centers following reports that several released terrorist convicts had rejoined terrorist groups.
"We are going to conduct a thorough evaluation - find out whether their persistence in following terrorist activities is really attributable to the failure of the current rehab programs or something else," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang told a press conference in Jakarta on Friday, adding that the police would cooperate with the directorate general of penitentiaries on the matter.
Dicky Christanto, Suherdjoko and Fadli contributed to the story from Jakarta, Semarang and Batam
