Specialist In Breaking Empty Shophouses In Pluit, North Jakarta Arrested

JAKARTA – Metro Penjaringan Police Sector (Polsek) personnel have arrested five thieves of electrical cables and monitor screens in an empty shop house (ruko) in South Pluit, Penjaringan, North Jakarta. The five initials were A (35), RH (39), D (37), SG (30), and SN (37). They steal power lines to resell.

"They are unemployed, live in places like under bridges. And work odd jobs," said Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit for the Metro Penjaringan Police Adjunct Police Commissioner Harry Gasgari as quoted from Antara, Monday, January 16.

According to him, there was an economic motive for the theft.

"After we asked for information, there was an economic motive in it," he said.

From the interim statements of the suspects, said Harry, they admitted that they had committed theft three times in the empty shop in the last two weeks.

However, in the third action, at the same location, the Penjaringan Metro Police team received information so they could immediately arrest the five suspects without resistance.

"So our team received information that five people were going to act last Thursday. So we immediately made arrests during the action," said Harry.

The police found a number of items of evidence from the arrest and confiscated them for investigation purposes. Among them are electric cable reels, monitor screens, and several tools used to steal, including pliers.

According to Harry, the five suspects broke open the empty shop door using pliers so they could enter and take the things inside.

Then goods from inside the shop are taken away on foot or without using a vehicle. Currently, Harry said, the items stolen had not yet been sold.

"They think it will be sold to meet their needs," said Harry anyway.

The police applied Article 363 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) regarding theft by weighting the five suspects.