Life is Healthy

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, April 19, 2010

A 9-year-old girl on Friday became the sixth victim in a spate of schoolgirl rapes that have shocked the resort island of Bali, as police detectives struggle with dead ends in an investigation suggesting a serial rapist is behind the vicious attacks.

Friday’s incident, however, differed from previous cases as the rapist attacked the schoolgirl at her own home on Jalan Pulau Moyo in Denpasar.

Each of the five schoolgirls attacked previously were abducted by a man while on their way home, after being tricked into believing he had been sent by their parents to pick them up.

“The parents of the child are in deep shock,” said Luh Putu Anggreni, from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission.

“They don’t want to report the case to police because their child is severely traumatized.

“The modus operandi was different,” she added. “Before, [the victims] were abducted on their way home from lessons or school. This time, the suspect actually entered the house, pretending to be a guest. The child is currently being treated in the hospital.”

Once again, the attack occurred in broad daylight, at about 12:30 p.m. The victim was alone in the house as both her parents were at work and the maid had gone home early because she was ill.

“[The victim] was all alone,” Anggreni said.

“We’re scheduled to meet with the Bali Police chief on Monday to demand swift action,” she added.

Denpasar Police Chief Gede Alit Widana expressed shock at this latest attack, and said that his officers were doing everything in their power to capture the perpetrator.

“We urge the parents of the girl to file an official report,” he said, adding that sketches of the suspect had been distributed in towns and port areas across the island.

The perpetrator is believed to have a scar on the right side of his nose. Police describe him as being between 25 and 35 years of age, 1.65 meters tall, riding a Yamaha Jupiter motorcycle and wearing a black jacket.

Friday’s attack occurred three days after another 9-year-old girl was abducted and raped on her way home from school. That attack also occurred in broad daylight.

The victim in Tuesday’s attack, a third-grader at Sumerta Elementary School, was found nearly unconscious on Jalan Merdeka in Denpasar. The girl said she had been walking home from school at around 1:30 p.m. when an unknown man on a red motorcycle approached her, saying her parents had sent him to pick her up.

“How is it possible that 1,800 police officers are unable to catch a single perpetrator?” Bali Police Chief Sutisna said during a visit to the school.

“If police see a man with a school-age child on a motorcycle, stop him. Ask if they’re related.”

Two officers have been deployed to patrol every elementary school in Denpasar during class hours.

The youngest of the six victims is a 7-year-old girl, police say.

Wrong kind of publicity: Drug smuggling and money laundering suspect Timothy Geoffrey Lee shields his face from reporters’ cameras after being questioned at the Bali Prosecutor’s Office in Denpasar, on Friday. He faces extradition to his native Australia, where he has warrants outstanding. JP/Stanny Angga

An Australian national suspected of committing drug trafficking and money laundering faces extradition at the Denpasar District Court this week.

Timothy Geoffrey Lee, a fugitive of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested by the Bali Police last month, will stand trial on Tuesday or Thursday in relation to his extradition, which has been requested by the Australian government to the Indonesian government.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Timothy on Friday underwent verification of the suspect’s dossier handed from the police to the District Prosecutors’ Office.

Head of execution and examination at the prosecutors’ office, Ida Bagus Made Argita Chandra, confirmed that the extradition would be ruled by the Denpasar District Court.

“The attorney general will then submit the court ruling to the President for approval. After the process is completed, the Indonesian government can extradite the suspect,” Chandra said.

Timothy’s lawyer Erwin Siregar said that his client would only be tried here concerning his extradition, while his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering would be taken to the Australian court. “We expect that the extradition may be completed by April, so that my client’s case can immediately continue with the legal process in his country,” Erwin said.

The lawyer said extradition usually takes between six months to a year, but he would continue to monitor the extradition to ensure it was completed earlier. He said he had also requested for voluntary deportation for his client since the process required simpler procedures than extradition, but voluntary deportation could only be carried out if the Australian Government had annulled the extradition request.

“We have asked the Australian government to withdraw the extradition request and we’re waiting for its reply.”

The Bali Police began searching for Timothy after receiving a Red Notice from the AFP on November last year and managed to arrest the 44-year-old fugitive on Jan. 9 in Kuta district. The AFP suspected Timothy for committing drug trafficking and dealing with proceeds of the crime. The AFP noted in its letter to the Bali Police that Lee left Melbourne for Bali around July 2006.

The federal police seized 1 kilogram of cocaine, 44 kilograms of MDMA tablets and powder, 45 liters of MDMA oil and equipment used for drug making.

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, February 05, 2010

Police in Bali have deliberately shot and wounded five men they said formed a criminal gang that specialized in burglarizing houses occupied by foreigners on the island, a Denpasar police official admitted Friday.

“They were attempting to escape and we decided to shoot them. Their main targets are foreign tourists,” said Police Chief Sr. Comr. Gede Alit Widana.

He said that the men were shot in the leg as they tried to escape.

The gang members all came from Palembang in South Sumatra, Alit said, identifying them as Andi Irawan, Zulkarnaen, Rusli, Arbain and Fikri Anang.

Widana said four of the suspects were arrested as they were about to board a Batavia Air flight at Ngurah Rai Airport on Wednesday. The other one was arrested in Kuta earlier.

Police started hunting for the men by tracking their car’s license plate after they had robbed a house at the Graha Pesona housing complex in Denpasar. A witness had noted the number.

“From the first suspect we arrested, we obtained information about the other four, who were staying at a hotel. But when we arrived at the hotel, they had already checked out. Finally, they were arrested at the airport,” Widana said.

The suspects told police investigators that they had been in Bali for just three days but had managed to rob seven houses, mostly belonging to foreigners.

Police confiscated evidence worth around Rp 1 billion ($107,000), including gold jewelry, watches, United States dollars and Chinese yuan, as well as electronic gadgets.

Police also confiscated a car and three motorbikes the suspects had allegedly used in their operation.

The group reportedly conducted their acts during daylight, coming by car and breaking in only after ascertaining that the houses were empty.

“We are still investigating the case so there is the possibility that the number of victims could increase,” Widana said.

In the latest crimes to befall foreigners in Bali, an Australian national identified as Simon Klen, lost two video cameras after two men on a motorcycle broke into his parked car in Sawangan, Nusa Dua.

At the end of January, two foreign tourists also became victims of similar crimes. Andrea Martinello, an Italian citizen, lost Rp 13 million worth of valuables after her car window was smashed. Jablons Kihans Joachimhorstenil, a German citizen, lost his laptop which had been in his parked car. His car’s window were also smashed in the break-in.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/03/2010 8:20 PM

Police detain 4 key suspects in ATM scamsThe National Police have detained four key players in the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) scams, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to 37.“Last night we managed to arrest [suspected] big players who have roles as middlepersons and collectors of the stolen money,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.Edward further said seven of the suspects allegedly conducted their crimes in Bali.The scams have incurred more than Rp 6 billion (US$650,000) in losses to big banks, mostly in Jakarta, Bali, Kalimantan and Sumatra. (nkn)

The National Police have detained four key players in the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) scams, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to 37.

“Last night we managed to arrest [suspected] big players who have roles as middlepersons and collectors of the stolen money,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Edward further said seven of the suspects allegedly conducted their crimes in Bali.

The scams have incurred more than Rp 6 billion (US$650,000) in losses to big banks, mostly in Jakarta, Bali, Kalimantan and Sumatra. (nkn)

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/02/2010 9:48 PM

Two vehicle theft convicts broke out of Kraksaan penitentiary in Probolinggo, Central Java, on Tuesday, using a sarong.

The prisoners, Kasim and Sarito of Paiton subdistrict, used the sarong to climb down a wall on the west side of the prison, at 3.30 a.m..

Kraksaan pentitentiary chief Krismono said he was amazed by the incident, tempointeraktif.com reported Tuesday.

“Kasim and Sarito were in fact due to complete their terms in a half month and one month,” Krismono said.

Sarito was probably afraid of being punished for another vehicle theft, while Kasim had just assisted his best friend to escape, he said.

Should they be arrested both fugitives will relinquish their remissions, he said. (nkn)

Jakarta Globe, February 02, 2010

The National Police announced on Monday that a bank officer had been arrested for his alleged involvement in the recent string of ATM-related crimes in Bali.

“We arrested a bank officer at the management level two days ago. He is now being detained by the National Police,” said the National Police’s chief of detectives, Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi. “He is believed to be involved in the recent ATM fraud in Bali, [but] he is from a bank branch in Java. He helped the perpetrator get inside information.”

The bank officer is thought to be connected to suspects Fransiscus Januarta and Jemil, alias Alim, who are already in custody after they were arrested last week.

Ito added that the police had seized data-capturing devices, which pick up code information from ATM cards, from 33 BCA ATMs in Denpasar, Legian and Kuta.

As of Jan. 19, at least 236 BCA customers in Bali have reported losing a total of Rp 4.9 billion ($524,000), Ito said.

“The mastermind is a certain Henry from Surabaya who is still at large,” he said. 

JG