Fake Eid Package Savings Scheme Defrauding Hundreds in Sukabumi Exposed

Cianjur Police in West Java have arrested the operator of a suspected fake Eid package savings scheme, identified by the initials DS (43), a resident of Sukasari Village, Cilaku Subdistrict, after hundreds of villagers who never received their packages reported losses totalling Rp1 billion.

Cianjur Police Chief AKBP Alexander Yurikho Hadi stated that participants who did not receive confirmation of their packages had visited the operator’s home but found him absent, leading them to file a report at the Cilaku Police Sector.

Officers acted on the report and arrested DS, who was then brought to Cianjur Police headquarters for questioning.

“DS is currently undergoing examination and being questioned about the Eid package savings case, where residents from two subdistricts who participated have yet to receive their packages,” he said.

DS’s status remains that of a reported suspect as officers continue investigations and developments before designating him as an official suspect in the fake Eid package savings case.

Preliminary investigations reveal that DS, the savings operator, has debts exceeding Rp1 billion, making it impossible for him to use his assets to compensate victims awaiting their Eid packages.

Authorities suspect that DS, who has run the business for over a decade, employed a “dig a hole to fill another” system to cover expenses, and as Eid approached, the collected funds were depleted, preventing delivery to hundreds of participants.

“We will soon designate him as a suspect, as it is highly likely that he cannot fulfil the promised packages, having already received Rp1 billion in total,” he said.

Before DS was secured, hundreds of participants from two subdistricts in Cianjur had visited his home in Cijati Hamlet, Sukasari Village, Cilaku Subdistrict, because they had not received their food packages despite Eid being just days away.

Hundreds of participants from several villages in Cilaku and Cibeber Subdistricts arrived by cars, shuttles, and motorbikes, intending to demand certainty about the packages to be distributed ahead of Eid, but DS was not at home.

On average, victims had contributed between Rp500,000 and Rp2.2 million to DS with the promise of receiving food packages seven days before Eid, but when confronted, DS claimed there was no money yet.

Victim Reporting Post Opened

Cianjur Police have opened a reporting post for victims of the fake savings scheme, with participants estimated at more than 400 people.

Cianjur Police Chief AKBP Alexander Yurikho Hadi in Cianjur on Thursday stated that initial investigations show hundreds of victims from two subdistricts, Cibeber and Cilaku, with suspicions of victims from other subdistricts as well.

Alexander explained that victims on average suffered losses of Rp1 million to Rp2 million per person, and officially reported victims indicated many more outside the two subdistricts, including in southern Cianjur.

“We have set up a reporting post to confirm the total number of victims in the fake savings scheme that has been running for a year; currently, 400 people are recorded, and it is estimated to increase further,” he said.