Fake Police Officer Arrested for Extorting Hotel and Travel Entrepreneurs in Lombok
The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Regional Police have arrested a fake police officer identified as Bayu Dwi Satria Putra, also known as BDSP. The 29-year-old man was apprehended following allegations that he extorted several hotel entrepreneurs and travel agents in Lombok.
The Director of General Criminal Investigation of the NTB Regional Police, Kombes Arisandi, revealed that BDSP carried out his actions by threatening his victims. According to Arisandi, BDSP had been conducting these criminal activities for a year while impersonating a police officer.
“The suspect committed acts of fraud accompanied by threats,” Arisandi stated on Monday (31/08/2026).
Arisandi explained that the extortion method involved BDSP contacting victims via WhatsApp. To deceive his targets, BDSP used profile pictures designed to make him appear as a high-ranking police official.
“He pretended to hold various police ranks, ranging from Director, Police Chief (Kapolsek), Deputy Police Chief (Wakapolsek), Unit Head (Kanit), to Head of Unit (Kasat), in order to deceive his victims,” he said.
During the extortion process, BDSP instructed victims to transfer money to pre-arranged bank accounts. He utilised different phone numbers to contact each victim.
“The perpetrator used various rotating numbers. Through his various attempts, some victims were deceived, while others were not,” Arintandi noted.
Losses suffered by the victims range from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah. Arisandi stated that investigators are still calculating the total amount obtained by BDSP through these extortion attempts.
“We are still recapping the total losses of the victims, as we are continuing to investigate the potential for other victims who have not yet reported. It could be approximately Rp 10 million,” he explained.
BDSP has now been named a suspect and is being detained at the NTB Regional Police headquarters. The fake officer faces charges under Article 492 No. 1 of the 2023 Criminal Code (KUHP) and faces a potential prison sentence of up to four years.