Three women arrested for passport forgery<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City police have arrested three female members
\nof a syndicate believed to have falsified identification cards
\nand other documents required for the issuance of over 500
\npassports.<\/p>\n
Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Permantoro told reporters
\nyesterday that the three suspects were arrested on Tuesday
\nmorning at their \"office\" at Jl. Sungai Bambu Raya No. 5, Sungai
\nBambu district in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We're still questioning a number of the passport owners, as
\nwell as several witnesses, in order to find the other members of
\nthe syndicate,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
However, he refused to explain whether the police have also
\nsummoned for questioning officials of related institutions, who
\nare believed to have played certain roles in helping the group
\nproduce the bogus ID cards and documents.<\/p>\n
\"I have no idea about that, we are still conducting our
\ninvestigation,\" the spokesman said.<\/p>\n
The three suspects, temporarily detained at the Pondok Bambu
\nWomen Penitentiary in East Jakarta, are identified as Sri
\nSumanti, 36, Mamah Abdul Hamid, 34, and Sunarti, 22.<\/p>\n
The first two suspects are housewives. According to police,
\nSri has a leading role in the crime by running a legal service
\nbureau for passport applicants.<\/p>\n
Based on preliminary investigations, police said that the
\nthree women allegedly used fake identities, official seals of
\nmany government bodies, birth certificates, residential identity
\ncards (KTP), marriage certificates and family member cards.<\/p>\n
During police questioning, Sri confessed that her bureau had
\nhandled the issuance of at least 500 passports over the last two
\nyears.<\/p>\n
They said that they usually earned at least Rp 200,000
\n(US$89.40), which they charged each of the passport applicants.<\/p>\n
It is strongly believed that most of the passport applicants
\nare Indonesian citizens of Chinese origin.<\/p>\n
Among the bogus official seals used by the suspects in their
\noperation are those of government bodies and officers' names from
\nmany districts in and around the city, as well as those in Medan,
\nNorth Sumatra and Singkawang, West Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
The government bodies include state courts, population
\nagencies, district offices and marriage registration offices.<\/p>\n
Sri told the police that she had established a \"special link\"
\nwith someone, identified as Rameni Ali, at the Central Jakarta
\nImmigration Office.<\/p>\n
\"We've just discovered that this man is not an official from
\nthe immigration office,\" Bambang said. (bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-women-arrested-for-passport-forgery-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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