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Police arrest 'trickster' thieves
The Jakarta Police arrested on Friday three men believed to be responsible for thefts at eight houses in the past year in which housemaids were tricked into letting the suspects in
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he Jakarta Police arrested on Friday three men believed to be responsible for thefts at eight houses in the past year in which housemaids were tricked into letting the suspects in.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters that the suspects were arrested at a hotel in West Jakarta at 3 a.m. However, one of the suspects was shot dead after he attempted to escape in Cilandak, South Jakarta, where he had been asked to identify a crime scene.
'Based on our investigation, the men had been operating since January. They targeted houses belonging to the upper class in various parts of the city and did so by tricking the houses' housemaids,' he said.
Jakarta Police chief detective of general crimes Sr. Comr. Heru Pranoto explained that during each of the robberies, two of the suspects, identified as AAP and H, would approach a housemaid outside her employer's house and pretend to ask for directions.
Once the housemaid seemed comfortable talking to AAP and H, she would be led to meet another man, identified as DS, who would be waiting in a car.
'AAP and H would tell the housemaid that DS had paranormal abilities and could heal illnesses. DS, dressed as an ustadz [Islamic teacher], would then convince the housemaid that she was feeling unwell due to bad auras emitted by some items in the house,' he said.
Heru said that the housemaid would become convinced after being asked by DS to spit into a piece of tissue that had already been dipped in chemicals that would turn red.
The suspects would then ask the housemaid to let them go into the house to help get rid of the household items with bad auras, he said.
According to Heru, the police managed to confiscate most of the items that had been stolen, including gold jewelry, gold bars, jade, old banknotes and electronics. The police estimated that the suspects had stolen items worth up to Rp 422 million (US$34,716) in total.
Heru said that the suspects could face maximum 20-year prison sentences for violent robbery under Article 365 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) because they were violent on several occasions. (fss)
