Police arrest two for possession of Rp 55.7m fake money
Police arrest two for possession of Rp 55.7m fake money
JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta Police detectives arrested two men
at a money changer in Blok M area of Kebayoran Baru on Thursday
for possession of fake Rp 50,000 banknotes valued at Rp 25.7
million (US$3,000).
Newly-appointed South Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Edward
Aritonang identified the suspects as couriers Nursidi, 29, and
Sukoso, 24, who worked for Seno Adjie, the main suspect, who is
still at large.
"Nursidi says he has worked for Seno at PT Torr for about
eight years. He said that he did not know what Torr stands for
and what it is all about," Aritonang said.
"We're still trying to apprehend Seno."
He said that on Thursday security officers at the Pasar Raya
office of money changer PT Indocev in Blok M phoned South Jakarta
Police about two men, who had brought in some Rp 25.7 million, in
fake money.
"The security officer at the money changer told us that the
suspects had meant to exchange the money for US$3,000, but when
the money was put under the ultraviolet scanner, it did not turn
out to be real money. So, the money changer called us."
When asked whether the police found uang ganda (banknotes with
similar serial numbers), Aritonang said there was "no such
thing."
Uang ganda are perfect fake banknotes which are authentic in
every detail, except that they use serial numbers which have
already been used and that they have been allegedly circulated
since last year.
Separately, witness M. Jamjuri, who works in the security
division of PT Indocev, said he found that the money was fake
because of the same serial number on several notes.
"I saw the numbers, and knew something was wrong. I then got
chief of PT Indocev security, Yulianto, to detain the two
suspects and called South Jakarta Police," Jamjuri told the
police, as quoted in police report No. 1102/883/K/V/2000.
A detective who took Jamjuri's statement said he had never
seen such "fine fake money."
"It smells real. The paper is of very good quality... the Bank
Indonesia stamp is real, except for the serial number," the
detective who asked for anonymity said.
Earlier on Wednesday night, Surabaya City Police seized Rp 4.5
billion in fake money and printing equipment from the Arema
printing company in the Industrial village of Cakung, East
Jakarta.
The Surabaya police detectives, with the help of East Jakarta
Police detectives, are "questioning as a witness," a retired Army
colonel, Slamet Hardjo, 61, and two suspects, Arema owner Mohamad
Asikin and friend Sumitro, over the matter, an East Jakarta
police source said.
"About a week ago, the Surabaya police apprehended a courier
of fake money, and after questioning, learned that the printing
company was here. They asked the East Jakarta Police to help find
the company and we did," the source said.
Early in March, police officers and customs officials in the
capital and the nearby town of Bogor confiscated fake rupiah and
dollar banknotes totaling Rp 5 billion and $16,000 in several
raids.
The central bank's director for banknote supervision, H.Y.
Susmanto, said the counterfeit rupiah notes in circulation last
year reached Rp 6.17 billion, equivalent to about 0.01 percent of
the total Rp 50.4 trillion of banknotes in circulation. (ylt)