Bangladeshi quizzed over visa offence, phone fraud
Bangladeshi quizzed over visa offence, phone fraud
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
A Bangladeshi, who was apprehended by police last month for
failing to produce valid immigration documents, has been
transferred to Medan Immigration Office for further questioning.
North Sumatra Immigration Office spokesman Rostonof said his
office would soon question Bangladeshi M. Tana Choudori to
determine whether he had violated the country's immigration laws.
"If the investigation proves that he has violated immigration
laws, he will be either brought to court or deported," Rostonof
told The Jakarta Post here on Thursday.
The violation carries a maximum prison term of three years
and/or a fine of Rp 15 million.
Choudori was arrested in September along with fellow
Bangladeshi Husairi alias Iqbal Husen, who was accused of fraud
in using the services of cellular phone operator PT Telkomsel.
Telkomsel became suspicious after cellular phone charges of
its customer Nurhayati rose to Rp 500 million in just ten days.
Telkomsel quickly launched an investigation and questioned
another customer Yustina, who told the company that she had sold
the phone and phone subscriber number to a Bangladeshi man. The
phone operator immediately reported the incident to the police.
The police then arrested the two Bangladeshi men at the
Sisingamangaraja Hotel in Medan. The police seized 11 SIM cards,
one Matrix phone card, three ID cards owned by Husairi, and Rp 52
million in a bank account.
"That money was transferred from someone in Pakistan
identified as Hasan. Both also admitted to having made phone
calls to 24 countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India,
Saudia Arabia, Bangladesh, and Aceh and Poso (in Indonesia),"
North Sumatra Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Amrin Karim said.
Choudori and Husairi arrived in Medan together with Nurhayati,
an Indonesian maid working in Malaysia. Upon arrival in Medan,
Husairi was put on the kartu keluarga (family card) of Nurhayati
and applied for phone cards. Both Husairi and Choudori used the
phones to contact their colleagues in 24 countries.
Husairi is still being detained at Medan Police Headquarters.
Rostonof said the immigration office would not focus on the
immigration violation only, but also determine whether Choudori
was involved in human trafficking.
If Choudori is deported, he will not be allowed to enter
Indonesia within six months of being deported, he added.