BLN Cooperative Fraud Victims Appeal to Parliament, from Retired Teachers to Elderly Citizens
Victims of alleged investment fraud perpetrated by Bahana Lintas Nusantara (BLN) Cooperative from various regions have lodged complaints with Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives in a public hearing forum. The complainants include retired teachers and elderly citizens.
Imelda, an 84-year-old victim, travelled from Bali by aeroplane to Jakarta to voice the grievances of fellow victims. She reported that approximately 1,587 victims of BLN Cooperative exist in Bali alone.
“At my age of 84 years, struggling as I am, I have travelled from Bali by aeroplane. I made the effort because I wanted to defend all my relatives in Bali. I respectfully beseech your assistance,” she stated at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday.
According to Imelda, with thousands of victims affected, the total value of wasted assets amounts to approximately 1 trillion rupiah. The investment, which was initially promised returns of 100 per cent, ended in complete failure, causing customers considerable distress.
“These people are deeply saddened, you see, because as you know Balinese people always participate in ceremonies, various ceremonies. It turns out their money is gone. Particularly now with Nyepi Day approaching, they are suffering greatly and are very sad,” she stated.
Imelda felt deceived by the cooperative, particularly by Nicholas Nyoto Prasetyo, its leader.
“I do not know what mystical powers he possesses that we cannot overcome this one man. I am extremely saddened. So the voices of the Balinese people need to be heard. They are devastated. They have many ceremonies requiring funds, yet they lack the money because it has been taken by Nicho,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sunarsih, a retired teacher from Surakarta, Central Java, experienced similar circumstances. She recounted how the cooperative persuaded her to invest.
“I am a victim of BLN. I was a teacher for 41 years, and have been enjoying retirement in Solo for only four years. I was approached by this BLN leader. I did not initially want to participate, but they kept visiting me, perhaps like hypnotherapy,” she said.
Sunarsih initially resisted but was approached repeatedly until she eventually surrendered a portion of her pension. She became suspicious after two months of not receiving the promised returns.
“So I started in February. Then March and April I was not particularly suspicious. Eventually I realised the truth in May of this year. Now until 2039 I will not receive my pension,” she stated.
She subsequently reported the matter to police. However, her report has not yet been acted upon.
During the hearing, the Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the Central Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Djoko Julianto, explained that BLN Cooperative is suspected of conducting unauthorised fund collection activities from the public without a licence from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) of Indonesia.
On 4 March 2026, the Central Java Regional Police designated one suspect: Dalyati (D), Head of the BLN Cooperative Salatiga branch. The following day, police conducted raids on the BLN Salatiga administrative office and the homes of the suspect and other officials.
According to Djoko, the Central Java Regional Police are continuing investigations into Nicholas Nyoto Prasetyo, who served as Chairman of BLN Cooperative, and other officials. Concurrently, police are investigating suspected money laundering offences.
In another development, Commission III, in its conclusions, requested that police immediately detain Nicholas Nyoto Prasetyo and all other suspects, and immediately freeze accounts in the cooperative’s name and those of other suspects to prevent asset concealment and destruction of evidence.
Additionally, Commission III requested the Director of Special Economic Crime (Dirtipideksus) of the National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate to optimise the complaints hotline for BLN Cooperative customers.