Fifth suspect in rape attempt arrested

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Jakarta Police said on Friday that they had arrested a fifth suspect involved in the foiled attempt to rob and rape a female passenger inside a public minivan in Gambir, Central Jakarta, in the late hours of July 23.

“The suspect, who has the initial B, was arrested in Mayestik, South Jakarta, on Thursday morning. With him arrested, we have now caught all the alleged perpetrators in the case,” police spokesman, Sr. Comr. Rikwanto, said. The other four suspects, who had previously been arrested, were identified as AA, D, F and NS.

Office worker IS, 31, reported the incident to police on July 24 after all five suspects reportedly tried to mug and rape her inside a C-01 public minivan near Lapangan Banteng in Central Jakarta.

The attempt failed when an Army Special Forces (Kopassus) soldier, Nicholas Sandi Harewan, saw what they were trying to do and gave chase by car until the suspects dropped off IS in front of the Supreme Court on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara.

All five are now facing felony charges for theft and indecency, which carry up to nine years in prison if proven guilty.