[MSN] INSIDER THEFT. Several staff including a curator from Surakarta's Radya Pustaka Museum have admitted to an internal theft racquet involving up to 13 century-old statues, after police acted on a former-staff member's report.

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Police break up internal theft racket at museum 


Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

Several staff including a curator from Surakarta's Radya Pustaka Museum have
admitted to an internal theft racquet involving up to 13 century-old
statues, after police acted on a former-staff member's report.

Central Java Police said Wednesday they had recovered from a businessman's
home in Jakarta five of historical statues stolen from the museum. 

Each statue had been replaced at the museum with fakes. 

The businessman has been identified only as HS and he is believed to have
purchased the stolen statues from the museum staff for more than Rp 500
million (US$54,190). 

Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Dody Sumantyawan said HR was not at
home when they raided his home. 

Statues dating back to between the 4th and 10th Centuries were taken from
the museum, including the Ciwa Mahadewa, Durga Mahesasuramardhini I and II,
Agastya, Mahakala, Dhyani Buddha, Saraswati and Bodhisatva Avalokitesvara. 

Thieves acting between 2005 and 2007 have also taken a large china tray, a
bronze chandelier and a crystal fruit tray presented by Napoleon Bonaparte
to the then-ruler of Surakarta, Paku Buwono IV. 

The burglaries came to light only after former museum worker Andrea
Amborowatiningsih spoke to the media about the disappearance of the museum's
collections. 

Andrea said she had previously informed the museum curator KRH Darmodipuro
of the disappearances -- but she had been ignored. 

She said the curator had persistently told her nothing was missing, before
she was eventually dismissed from her job. 

After Andrea reported the thefts, the police said they arrested on Sunday
four suspects -- Darmodipuro, 69 (museum curator), Suparjo, alias Gatot, 38
(security guard), Jawardi, 37 (maintenance staff), and Heru Suryanto, 55, a
resident from Sukoharjo believed to be the middleman. 

The suspects said they copied the statues before selling the originals to
HS. 

They told police they sold the Ciwa Mahadewa statue for Rp 35 million
(approximately US$3,800), the Durga Mahisasuramardhini I and II statues for
Rp 200 million and Rp 80 million respectively, the Agastya for Rp 90
million, and the Mahakala statue for Rp 100 million. 

Dody said police would immediately question the businessman called HR once
he returned to his Jakarta home. 

"We will bring the statues back to the museum to compare them with the fake
ones," Dody said. 

"Then an archeological team will study their differences." 

Archeologist Anggit Nugroho said laymen would probably not have been able to
identify the fakes from the originals. 

"But we will know immediately," Anggit said. 

"The fake ones were apparently made in Muntilan. 

"And the carver made them based on photographs," he said. 

Police have not found the remaining six historical remnants stolen from the
museum. 

Police said a German national was also potentially involved in the theft of
five of the statues. 

"We are still investigating the role played by the foreigner and we are
still unclear whether or not the statues (have been) taken overseas," Dody
said. 

The museum is temporarily closed to the public until Nov. 26 due to police
investigations.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/