Kalla's name used in scam

TANGERANG: Police arrested Deddy, 40, on Tuesday for allegedly deceiving hundreds of people by promising to get them jobs by March 15 in a company located in Cikande, Lebak regency, Banten, which was said to belong to Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

The suspect was arrested at his telecommunications kiosk in Pasir Jaya, Jatiuwung district, following complaints from the victims, each of whom was asked to pay a fee of Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000 for the job offer.

"He promised us the jobs by early last month and asked us to wait until today (Tuesday) -- but there are no jobs, so we reported him to the police," said Arun, 23, one of the victims.

Deddy told the police that he had also been conned by Ishak Labu, who claimed last year that he was a member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign team and was recruiting workers for Kalla's company.

Jatiuwung Police chief of detectives First Insp. Andreas said that Ishak had been arrested last November. -- JP