Man wanted for using name of UI to cheat students

JAKARTA (JP): Police are searching for one of four alleged con artists who cheated thousands of high school students in the Jakarta greater area in a scam using the name of the University of Indonesia (UI).

Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar, a spokesman for City Police, said yesterday that one of the suspects, identified by the name of Iwan, is still at large.

"He is a repeat offender," said Latief.

Latief said the police have arrested three men, whom he identified as LA, 25, Sar, 37 and Has, 27, in connection with the scam.

He added that one of the three suspects now detained by police in connection with the scam is also an ex-convict. He was released from prison recently after serving a seven-year prison term for murder.

"The three are in the custody of the East Jakarta police precinct for questioning," Latief said.

Lt. Col. Susmono Soesilo, the East Jakarta police precinct chief, told reporters on Thursday that the four suspects had distributed questionnaires to dozens of high schools throughout the Jakarta greater area.

The suspects, who claimed to be from Civitas Academica Foundation of UI, said in the questionnaires that they were conducting research about students' lifestyles and their relationship academic performances.

In order to motivate students to fill in and return the questionnaires, the suspects promised to give scholarships of Rp 150,000 (US$71) a month to respondents who were rated among the top 10 in their classes.

The respondents were asked to send in their questionnaires with three Rp 1,000 revenue stamps.

The suspects were after the stamps. They dumped the questionnaires into dustbins.

"It is obvious that they just wanted the stamps," Latief said, estimating that the four had made millions of rupiah from the scam.

UI has said that it had nothing to do with any foundation called Civitas Academica, or the suspects.

"There is no such foundation like that at UI," Latief said.

Lt. Col. Susmono told the victims not to go to either the new UI campus in Depok, or its old campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, to air their grievances because the suspects are not alumni of the Indonesia's oldest university.

"Indeed, there is nobody named Indah Prativi on the UI staff as indicated in the questionnaires distributed by the suspects," Latief said. The brochures were signed with the name Indah Prativi as research coordinator.

The questionnaires told respondents to return them to Jl. Kemuning No. 43-45, East Jakarta.

Susmono said that police had seized thousands of revenue stamps from the suspects in the ensuing raids at their homes. (09/has)