Yet another example of why you need to be careful about who you flirt with online.
Police in Bekasi recently arrested a gang of motorcycle thieves who, while still exploitative lowlifes, were at least slightly more creative than the usual “try to nick the bike when nobody’s looking” types.
Apparently the modus operandi of these thieves was to have one of their members, an 18-year-old woman identified by police as N, look for possible victims online.
“N would look for potential victims to get acquainted with on social networking sites,” Bekasi Police Chief Commissioner Awal Chairudin told Tempo. “After that, the perpetrator would get acquainted with the victim through BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).”
After a bit of online flirtation, N would set up a meeting with the victim in some secluded spot. Once they arrived, the rest of the gang, consisting of four young men (one of whom was N’s actual boyfriend) between the ages of 20 and 23, would bash the victim and steal their motorcycle.
Their last and most recent robbery took place on Monday night, when they managed to steal a Honda Scoopy from a young man in South Cikarang.
After the robbery was reported, the police managed to track the criminals down at their boarding house in Bekasi, where they found additional evidence of their crime including an air soft gun, keys to stolen motorcycles and the profits from their illegal sales.
The suspects are currently being held by the Bekasi Police and could potentially face up to 12 years in jail for their crimes.
