If you’re planning on exchanging your US Dollars at a moneychanger anytime soon because of the favorable exchange rate, you might want to exercise extra caution when carrying your money around.
The Jakarta Police recently arrested three thieves who targeted moneychanger customers around Central Jakarta. They had already robbed people outside eight different moneychangers in the city.
To carry out their thefts, one of them would look for potential victims as customers went in and out of a moneychanger. The target would usually be someone who looked like they were carrying a lot of cash. Once a target was spotted, he would informs his two accomplices.
“When the victims got into their cars, the suspects would follow. The victim’s car tires would then be deflated using nails. When the victim stepped out of the car to check the flat tire, the suspects would smash the car window and grab the money in the car,” said Krishna Murti, director of the Public Crimes Unit at the Jakarta Police, as quoted by BeritaSatu yesterday.
It seems the thieves scored a lot of money on their heists. They managed to buy a Nissan Juke and a motorcycle using the stolen money.
The Jakarta Police acted on a report from a victim on July 30, and began to monitor moneychangers in the Central Jakarta area. They eventually located arrested three suspects, JA, DI, and ARA this month.
The police say there are actually three more accomplices in on the scheme, but they have not yet been found.
