Boy in prison for Rp 10,000 phone voucher released
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 04/05/2011 4:52 PM
A 14-year-old boy arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone credit voucher worth Rp 10,000 (US$1.15) was released from the Pondok Bambu detention center in East Jakarta on Saturday.
Hendrik Sirait from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said prosecutors deferred the arrest of the teenager, identified as D.S., as reported by tempointeraktif.com.
The case against D.S. began when a riot broke out in Johar Baru, Central Jakarta. D.S. and his friends, R.W. and M.L., took cover near a voucher vendor’s stand that was destroyed during the riot. On his way home, D.S. found a Rp10,000 voucher on the ground. When he picked it up, someone screamed that he was trying to steal.
D.S. and R.W. were arrested at their house and brought to the police office without a restraining order or accompaniment by their parents. Due to the allegations, D.S. faced charges carrying a seven-year prison sentence.
