15-year-old faces five years for stealing cop's thongs

A 15-year-old student is on trial in Palu, Central Sulawesi, for allegedly stealing a pair of thongs belonging to a police officer.

Prosecutor Naseh told the Palu District Court on Tuesday that the defendant, identified as AAL, a student of SMKN 3 state vocational school, violated Article 362 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum five-year sentence term, kompas.com reported.

Naseh said that in November 2010 when AAL went home from school with his friends, he saw a pair of thongs at the road side, near the rented house of First Brig. Anwar Rusdi Harahap, and took them.

On May 27, 2011, at about 7 p.m. when AAL passed Rusdi’s house, which was not far from his parents’ home, Rusdi called him and asked about his missing thongs. AAL said he knew nothing about it, even after Rusdi allegedly beat him.

Finally Rusdi called his colleagues at the police station, Simson and Zul, and the three of them interrogated AAL.

Finally AAL admitted that he had found a pair of thongs, which cost Rp 85,000 (US$9.35), at the roadside.