Police Arrest Telkom Cable Thief Conspiracy In East Java, One Shot Dead

Head of Public Relations of the East Java Police, Kombes Gatot Repli Handoko/DOK VOI

SURABAYA - East Java Police arrested a cable theft gang belonging to PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk (Telkom). Of the seven perpetrators, one of them was shot dead for resisting the arrest.

"The seven perpetrators came from various provinces such as Lampung, West Java and Central Java," said Head of Public Relations of the East Java Police Kombes Gatot Repli Handoko, in Surabaya, Tuesday, January 18.

The seven perpetrators are YMS (33) a resident of East Jakarta, QH (38) a resident of Bogor, West Java, HS (28) a resident of Way Kanan Lampung, EB (30) a resident of Banjarnegara Central Java, MS (30) a resident of Bekasi and A ( 25) residents of Way Kanan Lampung.

Meanwhile, one perpetrator who was shot by officers for resisting arrest was YS (22) a resident of Way Kanan Lampung.

Each of the perpetrators has their own role, such as YMS is tasked with securing and maintaining the surroundings when other suspects commit theft. QH is in charge of securing and regulating traffic when other suspects commit theft.

HS is in charge of managing other suspects and giving signals to the truck when pulling cables from the ground. The EB is in charge of transporting cables from the ground to the top of the truck.

MS is in charge of entering the manhule, tying the cable with a chain before being pulled by a truck and lifting the cable onto the truck. A is also in charge of transporting cables and soil onto the truck. Meanwhile, YS, together with YMS, supervised the situation and served as vehicle drivers.

Gatot said the syndicate's modus operandi was to steal PT Telkom cables embedded in the ground by entering through a manhule or by digging.

"Then the cable is wrapped or tied using a chain and pulled using a vehicle until the cable comes out of the ground. The cable is then cut," he said.

On Tuesday, January 11, 2022, continued Gatot, Sub-Directorate Ill Jatanras Ditreskrimum East Java Police, assisted by the Tenggilis Police, received information from the public regarding the theft of Telkom cables at the Aloha Roundabout, Sidoarjo Regency. Then the team conducted an investigation around the Hotel Kemuning Bypass Juanda.

"It is suspected that the group of perpetrators gathered around the area of the Hotel Kemuning Bypass Juanda using two cars," he said.

At around 02.30 WIB, the perpetrators moved to the Aloha Roundabout, Sidoarjo Regency using two trucks and two MPVs. The gang then stole Telkom's cable using a chain attached to a truck.

At around 03.30 WIB, officers caught the perpetrators as they were about to load the stolen tools and cables into the truck. At the time of the arrest, the perpetrator who used an MPV resisted the officers by crashing the car he was driving into the officer's car.

Then officers got down and fired warning shots. However, the perpetrator backed his vehicle and stepped on the gas forward by turning the vehicle to the right until it would hit the officer.

Because the members were threatened, the officers took decisive action in the form of shots that hit the suspect YS. As a result, YS died when he was taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya.

"The actions of the suspects violate Article 363 of the Criminal Code which carries a maximum penalty of 9 years in prison," said Wadirreskrimum of the East Java Police, AKBP Ronald Purba.