Namibian arrested for cheating

JAKARTA: Sr. Comr Tjiptono said on Monday that police arrested a 38-year-old Namibian named Lamberth on March 28 at the Ibis Hotel in West Jakarta for deceiving an Indonesian businessman.

"Lamberth told the victim that he would provide US$5 million in a rice procurement deal in West Java in return for Rp 5 billion he asked from Rachma," said Tjiptono, adding that the Namibian told the businessman that he was a United Nations envoy for humanitarian affairs.

Believing Lamberth, Rachma transferred Rp 50 million and Rp 10 million in bank cheques on Feb. 16 and another Rp 2.5 billion on March 4.

Tjiptono said the victim did not realized that he was deceived until his money had not been returned by the suspect on the promised date of March 5.

"We suspect the victim was hypnotized," said Tjiptono, adding that police were pursuing several other people suspected of assisting the suspect. --JP