Police Arrest Extortionist Posing as Traffic Accident Victim in Samarinda
The Criminal Investigation Unit of Samarinda Ulu Police, under the Samarinda Police Resort in East Kalimantan, arrested a man identified by the initials RAB, a 30-year-old resident of Jalan Nusa Indah, Air Putih Village, Samarinda Ulu District, on Wednesday (10/6). He is accused of committing extortion over the past four years using a traffic accident modus operandi.
The extortion case went viral on social media because the perpetrator carried out his actions by pretending to be a traffic accident victim in order to demand compensation money from motorists, who were his actual victims.
Samarinda Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Hendri Umar, through Samarinda Ulu Police Chief, Adjunct Commissioner H. Asriadi, accompanied by the Head of Public Relations of Samarinda Police, First Inspector Arie Soeharyadi, told Media Indonesia on Friday (12/6) that RAB’s arrest was made after police received reports from several victims who claimed they were extorted by the perpetrator using the modus of claiming to have been sideswiped or disadvantaged while on the road.
"The perpetrator RAB was arrested by officers on Wednesday afternoon at his home in Air Putih Village, Samarinda Ulu District," he stated.
He explained that in uncovering this case, officers followed up on two official reports filed with Samarinda Ulu Police, with different locations, or crime scenes, and times of occurrence. The first crime scene was on Jalan Siradj Salman, where the victim suffered a loss of Rp150,000 after being forced to give money to the perpetrator. The perpetrator’s modus was to claim he was a traffic accident victim caused by the victim, whom RAB said was driving recklessly.
"Meanwhile, the second crime scene with the same modus occurred on Jalan KS Tubun Dalam. The victim was a 16-year-old student who suffered a loss of up to Rp550,000, given both in cash and via transfer," he continued.
Based on the investigation results and the perpetrator’s confession, the extortion actions had been carried out from 2022 to 2026 at various locations in Samarinda City. The perpetrator also admitted to having executed a similar modus at least a dozen times, targeting motorists passing on the highway.
"Currently, the perpetrator RAB has been detained at Samarinda Ulu Police to undergo further legal proceedings. For his actions, the perpetrator is charged under Article 482 of the Criminal Code on Extortion, which carries a maximum prison sentence of nine years," he concluded.