Robber steals one car and two children

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 04/04/2008 1:17 AM  |  Headlines

A woman who had her car stolen with her two children inside had left them alone in the unlocked vehicle, Jakarta Police said, urging parents to be more aware of car thieves.

A resident of Tebut Timur in South Jakarta, Novi Nike, started her car engine to take her children, Salma, 8, and Razwa, 5, to school on Thursday, but left them unattended while returning to the house.

"Suddenly, a man got in the car and stole it," Novi was quoted by police as saying.

First Brig. Purnianto of the Jakarta Police's Traffic Management Center (TMC) said Novi tried to stop the car driving off but failed.

The robber, who had been waiting in a parked car behind Novi's, abandoned the children on the Cikampek toll road, Purnianto said.

A taxi driver who was passing by saw the two children and took them to the police station.

Purnianto said Novi and her husband reported the incident to the Tebet Police subprecint.

"Tebet officers then told us about the incident and we asked some radio stations to broadcast the information and give a detailed description of the two missing children across the city," Purnianto said.

The taxi driver helping the children happened to hear the news on the radio while on his way to Bekasi.

Police are still investigating the missing car, but Novi said it was less of a concern for her.

"I don't care much about the stolen car as long as my children are safe," Novi said, as quoted by detik.com.

Car and motorcycle robberies are common in Jakarta, with 10,780 cases investigated in 2007 and 11,050 incidents in 2006, according to Police Watch. There were 10,230 robberies in 2005 and 8,932 in 2004.

Purnianto warned vehicle owners not to leave their cars and motorbikes unattended.

"It is important to always lock your vehicle, even if it is parked in front of your house, because robbers are getting smarter," he said.

"It is also not safe to leave your vehicle engine running in front of your house unattended. You should also not leave your belongings or your children alone in the car." (trw)

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