Thief of Street Light Cable Arrested while in Action on Jalan Basuki Rahmat Jaktim

JAKARTA - Public Road Lighting (PJU) officers from the Jatinegara District Road Construction Sub-Office arrested a thief of copper cables belonging to the public road lighting network (PJU) on Basuki Rahmat Street, East Jakarta.

"After receiving reports from our task force colleagues, we immediately went to the field. It turned out that the cable was being stolen and cut by the perpetrator," said Jatinegara PJU Task Force Member, Antoni Leonard Pasaribu in East Jakarta, Tuesday.

The perpetrator who was caught on Monday (1/6) afternoon was known to be cutting copper cables which are one of the vital components in the street lighting system.

The action was revealed after the PJU Task Force officers received a report of suspicious activity around the street lighting panel at the location of the incident.

Following up on the report, officers immediately checked directly to the field. The result, a man was found cutting the cable connected to the public street lighting network.

Antoni said his party moved quickly after receiving information from fellow officers who suspected an attempt to steal cables at the location.

According to Antoni, the cable that was the target of theft was a 450 millimeter copper cable that was commonly used for public street lighting networks.

This type of cable has a fairly high economic value if sold so it is often a target for theft.

The price of copper cable can reach around Rp500 thousand per meter. The high selling price makes the perpetrators suspected of intending to sell their stolen goods to make a quick profit.

When arrested, the perpetrator was known to have successfully cut a cable of approximately one meter from the network that is directly connected to the electrical panel.

The action can be stopped before more damage occurs.

The perpetrator also admitted to acting alone. To the officers, he argued that he committed the theft for economic reasons and to meet the household's needs.

The perpetrator was taken to the police for further examination to uncover the possibility of the involvement of other parties or similar actions that had been carried out previously.

The disruption to the street lighting network at the scene can be immediately overcome. PJU officers immediately carried out repairs after the process of securing the perpetrator was completed.

"If we don't handle it immediately, the lights will definitely go out. But after the incident we immediately made repairs and now it has been lit again for the smooth running of the community," said Antoni.

In addition to arresting the perpetrator, officers also seized a number of evidence used in the theft, including a cutting tool, a number of equipment keys, sacks, and identity cards (KTP) which were suspected to not belong to the perpetrator.