Police bust alleged taxi-bandit gang

The West Jakarta Police say they have arrested six men for allegedly using a taxi to rob their victims.

The men allegedly posed as members of a mass organization or as law enforcement officers to commit 10 robberies in Jakarta, including five in West Jakarta, detective unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengki Haryadi said on Thursday.

“We arrested them in separate operations in South Jakarta and Tangerang two days ago,” Hengki was quoted as saying by tempo.com.

The suspects allegedly targeted small men traveling alone. The alleged robbers would force their victim into a taxi, taking their money and cell phones before dropping them off.

One of the suspects said that the they did not use a weapon to rob.

Hengki said a separate gang with a similar modus operandi had been targeting women.

According to the police, a woman was robbed on July 29 by robbers who forced her into a taxi near the Taman Palem housing complex in West Jakarta.

The taxi dropped her in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, after taking her money and cell phone.