Police arrest Liberian nationals for scamming victims using fake dollar scheme

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Metro Jaya Regional Police arrested two foreign nationals from Liberia suspected of scamming their victims using the “black dollar” or fake dollar modus operandi. Head of the Public Relations Sub-Division of Metro Jaya Regional Police, Commissioner Andaru Rahutomo, confirmed the matter in his statement on Thursday in Jakarta. “Correct, two Liberian suspects were secured in an apartment in Meruya, Kembangan, West Jakarta, for fraud involving the black dollar modus operandi,” he said. He explained that the two suspects, initialled SDT and I, who were secured on Wednesday (18/3), are currently under investigation by the Jakbar Police Criminal Investigation Unit. Although he could not yet detail the chronology of the arrest and the amount of losses suffered by the victims, Andaru emphasised that the case would be released soon. Based on a video received by ANTARA from the Metro Jaya Regional Police Public Relations, the two suspects were secured while eating in a room in the apartment building. Officers showed the arrest warrant to the two suspects. Then, the officers immediately conducted a search on them. In the video, officers were also seen securing one suitcase containing one bundle of brown-wrapped packages suspected to contain materials for making black dollars. The black dollar modus operandi involves foreign currency coated with carbon to deceive Immigration and Customs officials for smuggling into Indonesia.