Siak civil servant falls victim to ruby stone scam

Siak, Riau — A civil servant in Siak regency has become a victim of a scam involving ruby stones.

‘The victim suffered losses amounting to hundreds of millions of rupiah after being tricked by a four-person syndicate,’ said Siak Police Criminal Investigation Unit head AKP Raja Kosmos Parmulais in Siak on Saturday.

He explained that the case was initiated by a report from the victim, identified as Z alias ATAN (5).

‘All four suspects were arrested by officers onMonday (25 May) in Bukit Raya subdistrict, Pekanbaru,’ he added.

The suspects are identified as UN, IS, DR, and Y FP.

He detailed that the perpetrators carried out their scheme skillfully, each with specific roles to convince the victim.

They showed a ruby placed in water that emitted a red glow, making the victim believe it was genuine. The victim was approached by several unknown men who took turns acting as the seller, intermediary, and a Singapore ‘boss’ feigning interest in purchasing the stone for Rp 2.7 billion.

After gaining the victim’s trust, they directed him to accompany them to collect payment. En route, they convinced him to bring his car and original BPKB to a car showroom in Pekanbaru, selling it for Rp 50 million.

Once the proceeds from the car sale were in the victim’s possession, the suspects again lured him to a mosque for prayer. There, they instructed him to leave his cash, wallet, phone, and valuables in their vehicle, claiming it was prohibited to bring such items inside. After the prayer, the suspects’ vehicle had disappeared, and the victim realised he had been scammed.