JAKARTA - The Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Metro Jaya Police has dismantled a network of theft of grounding cables or lightning arresters of public fuel filling stations (SPBU) operating in the Jabodetabek area, Bogor, to Karawang. In this case, the police named seven people as suspects.
"The police arrested a network of stealing the grounding cables of public fuel filling stations or in the Jabodetabek and Karawang areas," said the Head of the Metro Jaya Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Kombes Pol Iman Imanuddin, at a press conference at the Metro Jaya Police, Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Iman explained that the disclosure of the case began with a report from the public regarding the rampant theft of SPBU grounding cables that occurred in the last three months. The Subdit Jatanras Ditreskrimum Polda Metro Jaya then conducted an initial investigation, until they managed to identify the two initial perpetrators with the initials ya and ANMS.
"From the two people, then the Jatanras investigation team developed and managed to arrest five other people who are networks of the two people," he said.
Iman said that the results of the investigation revealed that the seven perpetrators carried out their actions in an organized manner with clear roles.
"W (24) acts as an executor and the brain of the theft, assisted by ANMS (18) and MR (21) who are tasked with monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, MAH (22), R (26), and JA (37) act as jockeys and monitors, and U (30) as a network controller," he said.
Iman emphasized that the theft of grounding cables was considered very dangerous for public safety. The grounding cable serves as a distributor of electric current due to lightning strikes to prevent fires or explosions at gas stations. According to Iman, the loss of the lightning arrester cable makes gas stations vulnerable to fatal incidents.
"By stealing the grounding cable of the gas station, this has the potential to cause a fire or explosion that can endanger gas station workers, consumers, and the community around the location," he said.
Furthermore, Iman said, in revealing this case, the police also secured a number of evidence in the form of two motorbikes used by the perpetrators, iron cutting tools such as pliers and saws, knives and machetes, rolls of grounding cables stolen, copper pieces, the perpetrators' clothes, and CCTV footage from the scene. He emphasized that the case is still being developed.
"We continue to develop on other networks, as well as for perpetrators of the proceeds of their crimes," he said.
Meanwhile, all the suspects were charged with Article 477 of the Criminal Code with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
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