Rupiah from heaven rains in Medan

MEDAN, North Sumatra: It rained money in Medan on Wednesday as some 100 people scrambled for bills of Rp 5,000 to Rp 20,000, after they had set fire to doors and broke into an office of a multilevel marketing firm.

The people were customers of a firm called PT Era Catur Wicaksana, better known here as New Era 21. Police said based on indications, the firm was not a multilevel marketing firm but merely a company promising fast profits.

Customers claim to have collectively lost up to hundreds of millions of rupiah.

The owners had fled and witnesses said dozens of angry customers set fire to two doors of the three-story building around 3 a.m. Three crates of money were opened and the bills were thrown from the second floor.

The crates were then sent to Medan Police Headquarters.

In the afternoon, the customers went to the mayor's office to press demands for an immediate settlement of the case and their money's return.

Frequent complaints of similar firms has led to the closure of at least nine firms claiming to be multilevel marketing companies.(39/40)