Bogus cops rob African soccer player in Menteng

Sr. Comr. Rikwanto: (Kompas/Sabrina Asril)

Men posing as police officers robbed a soccer player from Cameroon at the Formule 1 Hotel in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, the police have said.

The victim, Ali Abubakar, 35, who plays for a local club, told the Jakarta Police on Friday that he was approached by seven unidentified men at 4 p.m. on Thursday, after he drove into the hotel’s basement parking area.

Ali said that the men claimed to be police officers, forced him to get into their car and to hand over his watch, a gold ring, his wallet and car keys.

The thieves threatened to shoot Ali if he resisted before making away with his Suzuki X-Over, along with five cell phones and a laptop inside.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said that the robbers were not police officers and probably did not have guns.

“They were probably only bluffing,” Rikwanto said.

The robbery of Ali is the most recent in a series of crimes perpetrated by people claiming to be police officers.

A couple was handcuffed and carjacked by bogus narcotics officers on Jl. Brawijaya, South Jakarta, on July 2, while Korean citizen Liem Heon Ok was carjacked and forced to withdraw Rp 16 million (US$1,708) from an ATM by a gang with a similar modus operandi on Jl. Epicentrum in South Jakarta on June 30. (aml)