The Stolen Solo Witel Telkom Cable Turns Out To Be Sold In Jakarta And Cikarang

Five cable thieves belonging to PT Telkom Witel Solo/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Three perpetrators involved in the theft of PT Telkom's cable in Kertonatan Village, Kartasura District, Sukoharjo, Central Java Province, were arrested by the Sukoharjo Police. Police are still pursuing five other perpetrators who are still at large.

Sukoharjo Police Chief AKBP Wahyu Nugroho Setyawan said the suspects who had been arrested at this time were MR (24), MRF (26), and JH (28). The three were detained at the Sukoharjo Police Headquarters for questioning.

The police chief explained that the theft of the Telkom cable on Jalan Diponegoro, precisely east of the Kartasura Christian Middle School, occurred on Tuesday, November 9, early in the morning. The stolen item was a copper cable weighing 2 tons belonging to PT Telkom Region Telekomunikasi (Witel) Solo.

"We are still pursuing five other perpetrators who are suspected of being involved in the theft case," the police chief told reporters.

The group of perpetrators of the theft, said the police chief, entered the sewer and then cut the cable using an axe.

The Telkom cable was in the ground, the perpetrator carried out his action by opening the access door for the heavy cable by pulling it using a truck. The police received a report directly to the location and arrested the three perpetrators along with a number of evidences.

The suspect admitted to having stolen cables four times. Twice in Blitar and the other two in Kartasura Sukoharjo. The proceeds from the cable theft were sold to the Jakarta and Cikarang areas.

"For this incident, PT Telkom suffered a loss of around Rp250 million," said the Police Chief.

The police also confiscated a number of pieces of evidence a number of pieces of Telkom cable three meters long or weighing 2 tons, a yellow truck with police number E 9398 F, two axes as cutting tools, a hammer, and a chisel.

For the actions of the perpetrators, they are subject to Article 363 of the Criminal Code, concerning the Crime of Theft with Weights. It carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.