Expert: Purwokerto Fraud Suspect Exploited Customer Trust
Purwokerto (ANTARA) - Legal expert Prof Hibnu Nugroho from Jenderal Soedirman University stated that the alleged fraud case involving a former employee of Bank Mandiri Taspen Purwokerto Branch, Central Java, exploited the trust built with customers during his time working in the banking environment.
“The relationship between bank employees and customers is fundamentally built on trust, so the abuse of this relationship can cause losses to victims and simultaneously damage public trust in the banking sector,” he said in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, on Wednesday.
According to him, the suspect’s alleged actions can be categorised as fraud because they involved a series of lies that led victims to hand over their money or assets. He stated that investigators need to thoroughly examine the suspect’s statements to determine whether the alleged criminal act was committed alone or involved other parties.
“Whether he acted alone or colluded with others, that is the question. Usually, in cases like this, the possibility of other parties being involved must also be investigated,” he said.
Beyond identifying the perpetrator, Prof Hibnu emphasised that law enforcement must prioritise recovering the victims’ losses through asset tracing of properties suspected to originate from the criminal proceeds. “The important thing is not just uncovering the perpetrator, but also how the victims’ money can be returned. Therefore, asset tracing is crucial so that the assets can be used for restitution to the victims,” he said.
He added that asset tracing efforts need to be carried out from the beginning of the investigation, considering the victims’ reported losses amount to billions of rupiah. A thorough investigation of the case will provide legal certainty for the victims and serve as a lesson to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
In a separate occasion, Banyumas Police Chief Commissioner Petrus P. Silalahi stated that the bank employee, identified by the initials N alias D (36), had been dismissed by the company as of 1 May 2026. The suspect previously served as a pension credit account officer, responsible for marketing pension loan products and maintaining credit quality.
Suspect N, who has been detained since 7 June 2026, allegedly leveraged the reputation he had built while working in the banking sector. Using this reputation, the suspect approached customers seeking loans and persuaded them to take out larger loans or top-ups. The victims were then offered savings or investment programmes with high returns that were claimed to be profitable, even though the products were not actually offered by the bank.
Transactions were conducted manually outside the banking system, causing the victims’ funds to fall into the suspect’s personal control. Additionally, the suspect allegedly used obsolete bank forms to make the transactions appear official and convincing.
Regarding the tracing of the suspect’s assets, the Banyumas Police Chief said his office has coordinated with the National Land Agency (BPN) to block the suspect’s immovable assets to prevent their transfer. The assets being traced include land, buildings, and a café believed to be linked to the suspect’s ownership.
As of Monday (15/6), investigators had inventoried five immovable assets currently being documented for investigative and asset security purposes. Furthermore, investigators are coordinating with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to trace the flow of funds and accounts suspected to be connected to the case. The examination covers not only the suspect’s accounts but also those of family members and other affiliated parties.
“These steps are being taken to identify assets suspected to be derived from criminal proceeds, as well as to uncover the possibility of other parties being involved,” the Police Chief said.