Hundreds Fall Victim to Bogus Eid Package Savings Scheme in Cianjur, Losses Reach Rp 1 Billion

Cianjur, VIVA – Cianjur Resort Police in West Java have apprehended the manager of a suspected bogus Eid package savings scheme, identified by the initials DS (43), a resident of Sukasari Village, Cilaku Subdistrict, after hundreds of participants who never received their packages confronted him, with total losses reaching Rp 1 billion.

Cianjur Police Chief AKBP Alexander Yurikho Hadi stated that participants who had not received confirmation of their packages had visited the manager’s home but found him absent, prompting them to report the matter to the Cilaku Police Sector.

Officers who received the report immediately arrested DS and brought him to the Cianjur Resort Police headquarters for questioning, where he is currently undergoing examination.

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

At present, he explained, DS’s status remains that of a reported suspect as officers continue their investigation and development before designating him as a suspect in the bogus Eid package savings case.

Preliminary investigation results indicate that DS, the savings manager, has debts exceeding Rp 1 billion, making it impossible for him to use his assets to compensate the victims awaiting their Eid packages.

Authorities suspect that DS, who has been running 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 him from providing packages to the hundreds of participants.

“We will soon designate him as a suspect, as it is highly likely that he cannot deliver the promised packages, having already received a total of Rp 1 billion,” he said.

Prior to DS’s arrest, hundreds of savings participants from two subdistricts in Cianjur had visited his home in Cijati Hamlet, Sukasari Village, Cilaku Subdistrict, because they had not yet received their staple goods packages, with Eid just days away.

Hundreds of participants from several villages in Cilaku and Cibeber Subdistricts arrived by cars, shuttling back and forth, and motorbikes; the savings participants intended to inquire about the certainty of the packages to be distributed ahead of Eid, but the individual was not at home.