Disgraced Military Officers Arrested In Bali For Robbery Of IDR 90 Million

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Bali Police have arrested two ex-military officers in connection with a violent robbery. On Wednesday 20th July the Head of Public Relations of the Buleleng Police AKP Gede Sumarjaya, led a press conference at the local police headquarters.

He described to the media how four men have been arrested and charged after stealing over IDR 90 million from a safe. It is believed that there were two more men involved in the robbery who are still on the run.

The police were able to share the identities of two of the criminals as AS and ASM. They are reportedly disgraced and dismissed officers of the TNI, Tentara Nasional Indonesia, which is the Indonesian army. During the conference, the police paraded the four men arrested for coordinating a violent robbery of the Coastal Engineering Office in Musi Village, Buleleng. The incident took place on the evening of Sunday 3rd July. 

Sumarjaya reported ‘Before launching their action, they ambushed and tied up the guard at the location’ he described how the four men jumped the perimeter fence of the Coastal Engineering Office before ambushing the guard at the security post.

He continued ‘They immediately tied [the guards] hands and feet and taped (officer’s) mouths’. The local police explained how the gang split into three. Two remained at the security post the guards under siege. YS and ASM are reported to have broken into the building and located the office’s safe. It is thought two other men were on the lookout. 

YS and ASM were able to break into the safe and stash a staggering IDR 90 million (USD 6,000) in cash before fleeing the scene. In the early hours of the 4th of July local police. Sumarjaya explained how the police jumped into action to track down the thieves. The police tracked the getaway vehicle to a guest house in Kuta where they were able to raid the building.

’Finally, the police managed to apprehend the four suspected perpetrators and two people escaped’. He confirmed that shots were fired by police during the raid. It is believed police aimed fire at the two men who were fleeing the guesthouse.

At the time of the arrests, the police were able to retrieve just IDR 8.2 million (USD 545) of the IDR 90 million that was taken. The police have speculated that the cash was divided between the gang members prior to their arrests and that much has already been spent on luxury clothing items and other ‘daily needs’.

Police told reporters that this robbery was a targeted and organized attack. Sumarjaya reported that the gang had been stalking the guards and monitoring the site ahead of their attack. According to local newspaper reports the gang is known to have carried out similar violent robberies in West Java where they are also wanted by the authorities.

The four men have been charged with Article 365 paragraph 2 of the Indonesian criminal code and are facing a maximum of 12 years in prison for violent robbery. The police have released the names of the fugitive thieves and appealed to the public to come forward with any information about their whereabouts, The police are now looking for Mustapa Lestaluhu who goes by the name of Stefen, and Ilham Marasabessy who is known as Aldo.

Police have shared photos of the two wanted men across the community and around local police stations. Sumarjaya ended his statement by reiterating that ‘For the other two perpetrators, we are currently still trying to catch up. We have distributed the faces of the two to the community and the entire police station…so please help…for those who see these two [men], please inform us immediately’.