Police seize millions in counterfeit bills

JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested two people in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta on Tuesday night for possessing about 40 packages of counterfeit bills worth several million rupiah, an officer said on Wednesday.

According to a police report, the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one of the suspects was identified as Dharmawan.

"We are still counting... this case is not supposed to be opened. I cannot tell you anymore. Our superiors have told us to keep tight-lipped over this," the officer said, estimating that the counterfeit bills could amount to Rp 200 million (US$25,000).

Another source close to the investigation said the city police had broken "some kind of a record," and that about Rp 5 billion was seized from about 40 suspects over the past three months.

"Cases of at least ten suspects were tried at Indonesian courts. This time, however, one or two of the 40 suspects are Nigerians. The suspects are mostly Indonesian," the source said.

City police spokesman, Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis, confirmed on Wednesday that police and judges were not allowed to report such cases to the public in order to "safeguard the good name of the Indonesian rupiah in the international market".

"This is why I do not know about the case," Zainuri said.

Indonesia has had several cases of counterfeit money over the past two years. Many arrested suspects were believed to have worked for syndicates specializing in the business.

In August, a 40-year-old construction worker was apprehended for allegedly passing counterfeit bills to buy a second-hand radio from a resident of Pabuaran village, Tangerang.

In January, South Jakarta Police arrested a 38-year-old housewife in connection with the use and possession of counterfeit bills. Officers seized Rp 400 million of the counterfeit bills in Rp 50,000 notes and a bag of Rp 500 notes from her house.

The female suspect admitted to having passed some Rp 6.6 billion in counterfeit money at shopping centers and traditional markets as well as paying taxi fares in the capital over the last few years.

Early this year, the Tangerang District Court sentenced two members of a syndicate that produced counterfeit money amounting to over Rp 5 billion.

Article 244 and 551 of the Criminal Code stipulates that anyone found guilty of counterfeiting rupiah could face a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison. (ylt)