"The suspect (SFL) confessed to have disposed his firearm on the main road in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java. Our personnel then went to the field in an attempt to seize his weapon. The suspect then attempted to snatch our personnels firearm," Chief of the Jakarta Police Public Relations Division Chief Commissioner Argo Yuwono stated in Jakarta, Tuesday.
He further explained that the suspect had attempted to snatch the personnels firearm, as a result of which the latter was compelled to take serious action.
He revealed that the officer then took SFL to East Javas Doctor Soetomo Hospital, but he died on the way.
SFLs girlfriend, identified as RCL, who is suspected of being involved in the planning stage by providing a location for the group to map out their strategy prior and post the robbery, has also been taken into custody by the police, he added.
Furthermore, officers had seized another suspect, with the initials NFR, for hindering the search operations to catch the robbery suspects.
Chief Commissioner Yuwono noted that his officers had seized fake currency worth Rp6 million from the suspect along with several cell phones and a jacket he was wearing before the robbery.
It was earlier reported that the police had arrested four other suspects, including those with the initials IR (deceased), M, TP, and DTK, believed to be members of the group that had carried out a robbery in the Daan Mogot area of West Jakarta.
Yuwono further pointed out that the group had conducted 23 robberies around the areas of Jakarta, Tangerang, Cirebon, and Bekasi.
Police investigators recorded that the group had stolen a total of Rp1.56 billion through their malicious acts.
Several criminals had robbed and shot dead victim Tanoto after he withdrew a total of Rp350 million in cash through an automated teller machine in West Jakartas Daan Mogot area on Friday, June 9.
The suspects are believed to have followed the victim as he made his transaction on the automated teller machine.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
