A man in the Central Java capital of Semarang allegedly stole a car while dining at a restaurant with his wife — only to leave her behind and abruptly ending their holiday by getting arrested.
According to reports, a 34-year-old doctor identified by his initials AP, who is from Surabaya, went to a grilled chicken restaurant in Banyumanik sub-district with his wife on Sunday. AP allegedly didn’t think about stealing a car that day, but succumbed to temptation when he spotted a car key left on another table while its owner, who is identified as Andy Prabowo, went to the restroom.
AP then took the key, got into Andy’s car which was parked outside, and drove away on his own. His wife was left behind in the restaurant.
CCTV footage of the theft went viral online, which helped with locating AP.
“[The video] went viral. The Honda Jazz car that was talked about on social media was caught by our CCTV camera. After it crossed into the Old Town area, we finally tracked it down,” North Semarang Police Chief Johan Valentino said on Monday, as quoted by Tribun.
Police then apprehended AP in West Semarang, two hours after he ran away with the stolen car. The suspect told authorities that he and his wife drove to the restaurant with their own car, but he was determined to steal Andy’s car, a Honda Jazz, to fulfill his wife’s wish for a new ride.
AP said he acted on the spur of the moment, and that he left his car keys at the restaurant and told his wife to drive it to an arranged location. AP claimed that his wife was oblivious to his crime.
“My wife knows nothing. What’s clear was that we would meet at an arranged location. I didn’t tell my wife that I was taking someone else’s car away. So, I drove a car belonging to someone else while my wife drove my car,” AP said.
Johan said AP’s wife was shocked to learn that her husband had committed the crime.
AP may be charged with theft under Indonesia’s Criminal Code (KUHP), which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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