A gambling-addicted Indonesian mini-market clerk broke into the store’s safe and ran off with IDR 52 million (over $3,000) worth of cash that he squandered in online casinos, say police.
It reportedly took the employee just three hours to lose all of the money he had stolen, the Indonesian media outlet Liputan 6 reported.
Police in the Jeruk district of West Jakarta said the case “went viral” online after CCTV footage of the alleged theft circulated on social media.
A police official said the suspect had been working a night shift at the mini market, which is open 24 hours, on February 22.
After CCTV footage appeared to show him sneaking into a second-floor room and accessing a safe, the suspect went on the run.
This sparked a two-month manhunt that finally ended when the suspect was tracked down to a hiding place in a residential area in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.
Indonesian Lost Stolen Cash in 3 Hours
Officers said the suspect put up no resistance when police raided the property in the afternoon of April 13.
After stealing the cash, the suspect “quickly deposited the money into his personal bank account using an ATM installed in the mini market,” said police.
The mini market’s owner did not immediately realize that the money was gone. The case only came to light after the owner noticed discrepancies between the store’s till receipts and its cash holdings.
After hours of scanning CCTV footage, however, police finally identified the suspect.
Investigators said the suspect has since admitted to committing the crime. He admitted that he had become addicted to online gambling.
Police have charged the man with theft-related crimes. If convicted, the suspect faces a maximum jail sentence of seven years.
All forms of gambling are illegal in Indonesia. A recent crackdown on online casino users has led the government to freeze the bank accounts of over 33,000 residents.
