Dead thief identified as Palembang Gang member

TANGERANG: Police announced Thursday the identity of a man shot dead after attempting to steal a car as a decoy to rob an ATM at a shopping mall in the Bumi Serpong Damai housing complex.

Serpong police chief Comr. Budi Hermanto said the dead man was identified as Darmawan, 26, a resident of Kayu Agung village, Ogan Kemiring Ilir regency, South Sumatra.

“The suspect was known to be a member of a gang of thieves called the Palembang Group. We are still hunting three other suspects in the case,” he said.

The three other suspects attempted to steal a cash box being carried by officers from a Bank Mandiri ATM at the shopping area.

Budi said Darmawan’s body was still in the morgue at the Soekanto National Police hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, as officers were unable to contact the man’s family.

Darmawan was shot dead Wednesday as he tried to escape after being caught red-handed stealing a car parked at the store complex by a police officer who was escorting a vehicle resupplying the ATM’s cash box.

Budi said the real target of the crime was the ATM’s cash box. Darmawan was trying to distract attention by stealing the car while three other suspects monitored the situation from a minibus parked near the crime scene.

“The minibus that moved in to pick up Darmawan suddenly fled when the three other suspects realized there was trouble,” Budi added. — JP