Heartbreaking: Victims Pay Billions of Rupiah for Houses Never Built by Developer
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, West Bandung – Hundreds of consumers are suspected to have fallen victim to a housing development scam at The Emeralda Resort in West Bandung Regency (KBB), West Java. The homes they ordered have not been built despite payments being made to the developer as per the agreement.
Based on observations by Republika on Tuesday (5/5/2026) at the housing site in Jayamekar Village, Padalarang Subdistrict, the front road up to the gate has been neatly constructed. However, upon entering the housing area, only about seven houses have had their structures built, with no further construction activity at the site.
Dita Chintia (26 years old), one of the victims from Bandung City, explained that she was initially attracted to buying a house at Emeralda Resort due to its proximity to the Padalarang Whoosh Station and its beautiful views. She eventually agreed to purchase it in 2021.
“I first learned about it from advertisements, and there were also promotions in malls in Bandung. In 2021, I went ahead with it and made instalment payments totalling Rp 423 million,” Dita revealed at the site.
After completing the instalment payments, marked by the signing of the binding sale and purchase agreement (PPJB) for the house, the developer promised that the house would be completed and handed over in 2024. However, the house she ordered in the Kingston Cluster Block H has not been built and was later promised to be completed in 2025.
“In July 2025, I checked again and there was no progress at all in my block, Block H. After that, I requested a refund due to the lack of clarity. When we apply for a refund, it’s just dragged on until now. I’ve already paid Rp 423 million in full,” Dita clarified.
Selfie (42), another victim from Bekasi, experienced something similar. She had even fully paid Rp 1.2 billion since March 2023 for a house unit in the Janet Cluster Block M, which was supposed to be handed over in March 2026. However, to this day, the luxury home she has been awaiting has not been built by the developer.
“During a dialogue with the legal department staff in January 2026, I was instead asked to check back in mid-year regarding the fate of the project continuation, without any clear certainty on whether construction would proceed or be cancelled,” Selfie said.
Muhammad Nurdin, one of the victims’ legal representatives, stated that they had issued two summonses to the developer but received poor responses. His clients will pursue legal action if the developer does not return the money they paid for their dream homes.
“We have sent out Summons 1 and 2, with unsatisfactory responses. But we will also pursue criminal charges for money laundering because from marketing to recruiting consumers, it has been ongoing, and in the PPJB clause, there is malicious intent; the money is essentially a dark trick ending in money laundering,” Nurdin explained.
Additionally, they hope this issue will be discussed in a Working Meeting with Public Input (RDPU) by Commission 3 of the House of Representatives (DPR RI). Moreover, the Ministry of Housing and Human Settlements has already given attention by directly inspecting the problematic housing site.
Based on the information gathered, so far there are around 106 recorded victims with total losses estimated at over Rp 65 billion. “Approximately Rp 65 billion collectively, total of 106 consumers,” Nurdin said.