Ex-soldier arrested for fraud

JAKARTA: Police have arrested a former member of the Army Women's Corps (Kowad) for an alleged Rp 17 billion (US$1.9 million) fraud, a police officer said on Friday.

The police said that Ellya Rosa, who last held the rank of sergeant major, was arrested on March 29 while driving in a car with her husband, an officer in the Navy's Western Fleet based in Jakarta.

The suspect allegedly cheated several people by offering them opportunities to participate in a wide variety of businesses ranging from fuel distribution to jewelry trading and real estate dealings. She promised profits of between 20 percent and 30 percent for each partner, a police detective told detikcom.

One of the victims, according to the police, is Hong Kong citizen Lisa, who paid over a total of Rp 13 billion.

Ellya was discharged from the army for involvement in a fraud case, and had been jailed in Pondok Bambu prison for one- and-a-half years. She was released in early 2001. -- JP