Five foreigners held for fraud

JAKARTA (JP): Five Cameroonian and Congolese nationals, including a soccer player hired by a local club, were arrested this week for alleged fraud.

The head of the immigration's control and supervision department, Zaiman Nurmatias, said two of the five men had also overstayed their visas.

Police confiscated two electric irons, sheets of black and white papers the size of U.S. dollar notes, three bottles of chemicals and a black bag.

Joseph Lewono, who plays for Jakarta soccer club Persija, admitted the group swindled their victims into believing they could increase the amount of US$30,000 to as much as $80,000.

The men would tell their victims, mostly foreign tourists, to give them the money. The group would then brings sheets of the black and white papers to the victims, with elaborate instructions to wash them in a special solution after three days to increase the amount. The men then absconded before the fraud was discovered.

"They all denied their involvement in the scheme, and blamed one another instead," Zaiman said Thursday.

The other men are Ferdinand Ngapnya, Theodore Bokia Mbondebeka Bokia, Yosef and Eenel Mpanca.

Lewono claimed he had once seen Dendy, an Indonesian friend, producing fake U.S. dollar notes using the equipment confiscated by the police.

Police said there were similarities in the technique used in this case with that employed by a Cameroonian arrested in April.

Erick Berlain Nguefack Fomenteu, 24, allegedly defrauded two people of Rp 10 million and $10,000.

Sources said Fomenteu and the five men are believed to be part of the same syndicate.

The foreigners are awaiting deportation at the immigration department's quarantine center in Kalideres, West Jakarta. (cst)