Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

West Jakarta traffic stumps thief, leads to arrest

JAKARTA – A car thief was arrested earlier this week after becoming stuck in a traffic jam in West Jakarta in the vehicle he had just stolen, police said on Wednesday (Feb 24).

Traffic jam in Jakarta. Reuters file photo

Traffic jam in Jakarta. Reuters file photo

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

JAKARTA – A car thief was arrested earlier this week after becoming stuck in a traffic jam in West Jakarta in the vehicle he had just stolen, police said on Wednesday (Feb 24).

The thief, Slamet Rahayu, 21, was visiting a relative in Tambora, West Jakarta, on Monday when he saw a small box truck — belonging to Tambora resident Elvria, 40 — parked at the side of the road. The driver’s door was unlocked and Slamet used a long metal wire to start the engine.

“He was caught red-handed after a resident witnessed the incident,” Tambora Subdistrict Police Chief Wirdhanto said on Wednesday.

He tried to drive away with the truck but was stuck in a heavy traffic jam not far away from the scene.

An angry mob pulled the thief from the vehicle and attacked him before a police officer intervened and took him to the police post in Jembatan Besi.

Police confiscated the vehicle and the wire used to start the engine.

Slamet, who is a repeat offender, could face five years in prison. JAKARTA GLOBE

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.