The Thief Of The Statue Of Jesus And Mother Mary At The Maria Immakulata Bangkalan Church
BANGKALAN - Police Resort (Polres) Bangkalan, East Java, arrested the perpetrators of the burglary at the Maria Immakulata Church in East Gili Village, Kamal District, which caused statues and a number of other valuables to be stolen by the perpetrators.
Bangkalan Police Chief AKBP Febri Isman Jaya explained that the case of breaking into a Christian house of worship occurred on February 16, 2024 and the suspect's action was caught on surveillance cameras.
"On the basis of this initial evidence, members immediately carried out developments, so that the perpetrators were arrested," he said in a press statement to the media in Bangkalan, East Java, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, February 19.
He explained that the deterrence was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Kamal Police, assisted by the Bangkalan Police Criminal Investigation Team.
The suspect with the initials MZ (32) is a resident of Buluh Village, Socah District. The perpetrator stole statues of Jesus and Mother Mary as well as various valuables. His disgraceful actions were caught on church CCTV.
The burglary of the house of worship on February 16, 2024, the perpetrator broke into the door of the church with a crowbar and screwdriver. The incident was reported by church administrator Yulius Apri Siswoko, a resident of Perum Gili Asri Residence Kamal at the local police station.
"We carried out a series of investigations, armed with CCTV evidence the day after the Kamal Police Criminal Investigation Unit reported the perpetrators and secured some evidence," said Febri.
As a result, the Statue of Jesus and Mother Mary, as well as 2 sound systems hanging, 3 fans missing and the entrance to the church were damaged. Thus, the house of worship suffered a loss of around Rp. 5 million.
"From a number of stolen items, we managed to save some of them, some of which have been sold to the Surabaya leak market. The proceeds from the sale were sent to his wife's children in Bondowoso," Febri explained.
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For his actions, the suspect is threatened with Article 363 of the Criminal Code concerning theft and Weighting with a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.
"The suspect admitted that it was the first time he stole, the stolen money was sent to his family for daily needs. We will investigate first, we are also worried about theft in other areas," he explained.
AKBP Febr also emphasized that the theft case at the Maria Immakulata Church was purely a criminal case, and had nothing to do with terror in the name of religion as news developed in some Bangkalan communities.