Bareskrim Polri Commits to Stern Action Against Currency Crimes

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Bareskrim Polri is committed to taking firm action against all forms of currency crimes, from the production and storage to the circulation of counterfeit money. Deputy Head of Bareskrim Polri, Inspector General of Police Nunung Syaifuddin, stated that the police successfully uncovered counterfeit money cases from 2025 to 2026, reaching 252 police reports with 1,241 suspects. “Throughout 2025 until April 2026, the ratio of detected counterfeit money continued to decline from four ppm in 2025 to one ppm in April 2026,” he said during a press conference and ceremonial destruction of counterfeit rupiah notes at the Bank Indonesia Head Office in Jakarta on Wednesday, as confirmed by an official statement. From these revelations, he said, the authorities managed to secure evidence in the form of 137,005 sheets of counterfeit rupiah and 17,267 sheets of fake US dollars. According to him, the presence of counterfeit money not only harms the public but can also disrupt national economic stability, thus requiring decisive steps in its eradication. “Counterfeit money not only economically harms the public but can also disrupt economic stability and reduce public confidence in the state currency,” he said. “Currency counterfeiting is a serious crime as regulated in Article 374 of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code, with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum fine of Rp5 billion,” he emphasised. The counterfeit rupiah notes destroyed in the event amounted to 466,535 sheets of various denominations. This evidence consists of findings from banks through Bank Indonesia from 2017 to November 2025, which were then handed over to the Directorate of Special Economic Crimes of Bareskrim Polri in accordance with the non-judicial handling mechanism. The destruction was carried out using a shredding machine after obtaining approval from the Chief Judge of the Central Jakarta District Court through Determination Number 01/PNBid/2026/PN Central Jakarta dated 23 January 2026, ensuring the money no longer resembles its original form and is guaranteed not to re-enter circulation in society.