Ciputat Police chief faces several extortion allegations
Ciputat Police chief faces several extortion allegations
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ciputat Police subprecinct chief Adj. Comr. Zulfan is facing
multiple allegations of extortion following a report from a local
businessman to the National Police, claiming that he had been a
victim of Zulfan who demanded Rp 160 million (US$19,048) from him
in October.
Adj. Sr. Comr. D. Sinuraya, an internal affairs officer at the
National Police, confirmed on Tuesday that he had received the
report from businessman Barzan Effendy last week.
Barzan said in the report that Zulfan had extorted him in
order to settle a business dispute with a businesswoman.
A source at the South Jakarta Police precinct also confirmed
that Zulfan was reported for extortion by four businessmen who
were made to hand over Rp 98.5 million to Zulfan, just in
October.
Zulfan was also reported for regularly extorting six shop
owners selling pirated video compact discs (VCDs), with each
required to pay him Rp 8 million to stay in business.
The police source added that Zulfan had reportedly demanded Rp
20 million from a man identified only as Robi, just to have his
cars returned. Robi's two cars -- an Opel Blazer and a Hyundai
Atoz -- had been confiscated by the police as evidence in a
counterfeit car registration case. The cars were kept at the
Ciputat police station.
In addition to the numerous allegations, the source said that
Zulfan was also reported by his subordinate First Insp. Ahmad
Kusnidar, head of the Ciputat Police traffic unit, for pointing a
gun at his head.
The incident took place when Kusnidar was about to move some
evidence after a traffic accident -- a fatal truck/pedestrian
case -- from the Ciputat Police compound to the South Jakarta
Police headquarters.
Zulfan ordered him to keep the truck in Ciputat, but Kusnidar
could not comply because he had been ordered earlier by the South
Jakarta Police traffic unit chief to move the truck to the
headquarters. Apparently outraged, Zulfan pulled out his gun and
pointed it at his Kusnidar's head.
Contacted separately, Zulfan said that he had never received a
summons from the National Police to question him over the
allegations.
As of Tuesday, he was still functioning as the Ciputat Police
subprecinct chief.
An independent organization, Police Watch, revealed in its
latest survey on the increasing number of criminal cases --
robbery, thuggery, gambling and drug trafficking -- in which
active police personnel were implicated, either on or off duty.
The survey said that there were at least 14 drug cases and 90
assault cases reported in 2003 involving police officers in the
capital.