Five arrested in finger-cutting insurance fraud
JAKARTA (JP): City police have arrested five men suspected of cutting one of the men's fingers off to obtain millions of rupiah in accident insurance.
"With capital around Rp 100 million (US$42,550), the group planned to collect Rp 896 million from two insurance firms after cutting off their friend's fingers," City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said yesterday.
Based on tips from the two companies, the police arrested the five suspects in Jakarta and Yogyakarta on Tuesday and Wednesday, Iman said.
"They were arrested before they got the money even though the group had filed the accident insurance claims for their "injured" friend with PT Asuransi Sewu New York Life and PT Asuransi Wahana Tata," the police spokesman said.
According to police detective Capt. Carlo B. Tewu, who handled the case, all of the suspects were from Bagan Siapi-api in Riau, Sumatra.
The suspects were identified as Asmandi, alias Tan Ting Tjin, 52, Tonei, 26, A Liong, alias Lagio, 53, Freddi Winata, 26, and Irwan Kusuma, alias Tan Tjui Pik, 34.
Asmandi and Tonei were arrested on Tuesday at their homes in Rawa Bebek, North Jakarta, and Jelambar Selatan, West Jakarta. The following day, the police captured A Liong in Yogyakarta, Freddy in Tambora, West Jakarta, and Irwan at a house rented by the group in the Citra Garden housing complex in West Jakarta.
Police said that Asmandi, an agent for the two insurance firms, was the mastermind behind the plot. Irwan acted as the client, Lagio as the finger-cutter and Tonei and Freddy raised the initial capital of around Rp 100 million.
According to Carlo, Rp 73 million was used for Irwan's insurance premiums with both firms, Rp 10 million for the house's rent and the rest for hospital and other medical costs.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the plot was arranged in February when Asmandi offered Irwan "an easy job with great payments". No specific talent was required for the post but Irwan had to lose some of his fingers.
Two months later, Asmandi, the insurance agent, brought his client, Irwan, to the office of PT Asuransi Sewu New York Life. Irwan, a car mechanic, paid the Rp 72,370,000 insurance premium.
In May, Irwan -- accompanied by Asmandi -- listed his name with PT Asuransi Wahana Tata and paid Rp 1,080,000 for insurance.
Asmandi then called A Liong in Yogyakarta asking him to come to Jakarta on July 1 to cut Irwan's fingers off at the house the group had rented.
On July 1, Tonei and Freddy accompanied Irwan to buy pig legs at a nearby market. The group planned to cheat the insurance companies by making out that Irwan's fingers were cut off while butchering pigs.
At around 11 a.m., the amputation took place at the house. Irwan's forefinger and thumb were cut off with a sharp knife by A Liong. Before the amputation, Irwan was put to sleep by injection.
A few minutes later, Tonei and Freddy rushed Irwan to the Graha Medika hospital in Kebon Jeruk for medical treatment.
At the hospital, he was treated by doctor Saryono. He stayed in hospital for three days.
On July 8, Asmandi took Irwan to the two firms, delivering the claims for payments because of the "accident".
Lawyer Warsito from the insurance firms said the companies' employees had found irregularities in Irwan's claim which led them to report the case to the police.
When police questioned A Liong, who had no fingers on his right hand, he admitted cutting his own fingers off in 1994 and successfully collecting Rp 74 million from PT Asuransi Central Asia Life and Rp 110 million from PT Asuransi Bumiputera.
"Another of the group's members, whose fingers are also missing, is still at large," detective Carlo said. (bsr)