MENGWI, 12/5/2011
A parking attendant and a construction worker who stole hundreds of ducks from farms in Badung used the money they earned from the thefts partying in late-night cafes.
The duck rustlers — identified as Toni, 25, and Daplong, 19 — were arrested after 261 ducks worth around Rp12 million (US$1,400) belonging to Wayan Sumendra, 56, disappeared from a farm in Ayunan Village in Abiansemal, Bandung, last Wednesday. In an earlier theft in Kekeran Village, 176 ducks were taken.
The pair were arrested last Friday along with another man who is believed to have bought the stolen ducks from them, following a tip-off from local residents in Mengwi.
According to Mengwi Police chief Nyoman Suandi, officers went to the property of a man identified by his initials as WSDN after reports that Toni and Daplong had been seen delivering ducks there in recent days.
They found several hundred ducks at the property, but WSDN denied that they had been stolen, claiming that he had raised them himself. Police then called Wayan Sumendra to the property, where he was able to identify the ducks as those that had been taken from his farm.
“WSDN continued to protest, now claiming that he had simply bought the ducks from someone,” Suandi said, adding that after being arrested WSDN named the seller as Daplong.
“We got him to call Daplong to the house, and we arrested him as soon as he arrived,” Suandi said.
Daplong admitted to the crimes, and named Toni as his partner. Toni was arrested later on Friday.
“Toni works as a parking attendant, and Daplong is a builder’s labourer,” Suandi said, adding that the men had admitted to the thefts of hundreds of ducks over recent months and said that they had sold the birds on to WSDN for Rp5 million (US$584).
“They used the money they got from their thefts partying in late-night cafes,” he said.
( x the Bali Times)
vr 13 mei 2011 - 7:40