Central Java Police Name Boss of Sham Bahana Lintas Nusantara Cooperative as Suspect
The Central Java Regional Police have named the boss of the sham Bahana Lintas Nusantara Cooperative as a suspect in a case linked to illegally mobilising funds from the public under the guise of a savings and loan cooperative, including offering unrealistically high returns to attract deposits, said Kombes Djoko Julianto, Director of the Reskrimsus (Criminal Investigation) at the Central Java Regional Police, at the headquarters in Banyumanik, Semarang, reported by detikJateng on Thursday, 21 May 2026.
Djoko explained that the suspect is also believed to know that the activities did not have real, transparent business operations, and was involved in controlling funds in a manner that is not auditable, including the possible use of funds from new members to pay earlier returns in a Ponzi scheme.
“Thus, his role can be classified as the initiator or at least someone who permitted the deviant fund-raising practices that have the potential to breach the law,” he said.
In addition to NNP, police have named the Head of BLN Salatiga Branch, initials D (55), on Wednesday (4 March). Djoko detailed that the woman recruited the public to participate in the Sipintar Savings Programme and earned commissions from participants’ money.
“The branch head invited the public to join the Sipintar Programme and placed their funds directly into various collection accounts prepared by the suspect NNP,” Djoko said.
“The suspect offered the Sertifikat Berharga Simpanan Pintar Bayar or Sipintar. From the funds mobilised from the public, the BLN Salatiga branch administrators earned commissions of 0.5 to 1.5 per cent per month of the nominal amount of money of participants in the Sipintar programme,” he added.
The two suspects are currently being held at the Tahti Detention House of the Central Java Regional Police. They face a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and fines up to Rp 2 billion.
The Central Java Police previously raided the Bahana Lintas Nusantara (BLN) Salatiga Cooperative Office, Jalan Fatmawati No. 188, Blotongan Village, Sidorejo District, Salatiga City. The cooperative is alleged to have defrauded nearly tens of thousands of customers.
“Victims number nearly tens of thousands in several regencies/cities in Central Java, including some regencies in East Java,” said Kombes Djoko Julianto, Director of Special Criminal Investigation (Reskrimsus) of Central Java Police, when speaking to detikJateng at his office, on Thursday (5 March).
Several victims of the sham cooperative have undergone examinations at the Central Java Police. They revealed the modus operandi used by the owner to reassure depositors, including religious outreach such as tausiah.
“(Why were they enticed?) Because of the promise of high profits, then happy together, rich together. But in reality we were duped,” said Setiana, a retiree nurse, when met at the Ditreskrimsus office, on Tuesday (7 April).
Setiana, a retiree nurse, said she invested Rp 500 million. Initially she received profits. But after seven payouts, she no longer received any profits.