Public order officer was brains behind robberies: Police

The Jakarta Post | Wed, 05/25/2011 9:41 PM

The police have discovered that a public order officer in Indramayu, West Java, was the brains behind a string of robberies in the town.  

Haji Tri, who lives in Tugu village, Indramayu, owns the house that became the headquarters for a number of thieves specializing in bank and ATM robberies.

“[Haji Tri] is a public order officer and he is now on the wanted list,” Jakarta Police detective unit land and building head Comr. Herry Herryawan said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He said the Haji Tri group had plenty of members.
“This group specialized in bank and ATM machines in minimarkets on the edge of town,” Herry said.

The police conducted a sting at Haji Tri’s house but he was not home, while one suspect managed to escape in a car. The police are still looking for 10 members of the group.

“[The suspect] carried two short-barreled firearms used in the act [of robbing],” Herry said.

The group has carried out eight robberies so far, including a house in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, in April, an internet café in Cikedung Elor, Indramayu, on May 14 and a Bank Rakyat Indonesia branch in Kandang Haur, Indramayu, last Tuesday.

Black magic behind Sidoarjo infant corpse theft: Expert

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/16/2011 11:48 AM | Archipelago

Residents of several villages in East Java town of Sidoarjo have been put into turmoil over the past week with the disappearance of dozens of infant corpses from cemeteries, in what is believed to be related to the practice of black magic.

As of Tuesday, up to 24 infant corpses had been removed from graves, tribunnews.com reported.

Psychic Ki Kusumo who has been following the issue said the person stealing the corpses wanted to improve his black magic skills.

“The infant corpse thief wants perfect self-immunity. There are also those who carry out such thefts in search of wealth. Both are practicing black magic,” Kusumo said in Bekasi, West Java.

Kusumo said the thief may want immunity from sharp objects and fire, among other things.

The thefts were first reported by Sapari, 55, who guards Bonosari village cemetery in Sidoarjo, after he noticed that an infant grave had been disturbed.

After discovering more infant graves had been disturbed and corpses missing, Sapari reported the incident to police.

Police arrest 2 alleged masterminds behind Ahmadiyah attack

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/16/2011 11:50 AM | National

The National Police says it has arrested two suspected masterminds behind the deadly attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten.

National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said one of the suspects was found in Bogor, while another was arrested in Banten.

"The man arrested in Bogor is known by the initials UJ, while we haven't obtained details on the other suspect," Boy said Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

“The two suspects are believed to have been the brains behind the attack,” National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi said.

Police have detained four suspects, identified by the initials U, M, E, and Y, in relation to the attack, which involved the killing of three Ahmadis and injury of many others, as well as damage to their property.

Elderly couple behind bars for providing free education

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/19/2011 9:23 AM | Archipelago

A couple who had been providing free university-style programs for students who were unable to pay their tuition fees have been detained since December, in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.

Yonathan of Kendari Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), which is handling the case, said he suspected an ulterior motive behind the arrest, kompas.com reported Tuesday.

Yonathan said the couple, Abdul Rifai, 80, and Zaliha Lasope, 70, were the founders of the Buton Islamic University (Unisbon) Foundation.

The couple, who founded the university in 2000, were being held at the Bau-bau Detention Center, he said, adding that LBH Kendari had been in contact with the Education Ministry Directorate General for Higher Education (Dikti) in Jakarta on Monday.

Dikti had been monitoring Unisbun since the year it was founded, but the institution was still awaiting its permit, Yonathan said.

“The campus has a unique operating method, in which tuition is free for those who are unable to pay. Students can pay after they have finished their studies and have begun earning a living,” he said.

Yonathan said the problem with permits came when the university started garnering more enrollments, in around 2008.

“The campus started being stigmatized as illegal,” he said.

The couple was arrested for allegedly falsifying certificates for its students.