Sleman Man Arrested After Printing Money with a Printer to Buy Cigarettes
A man with the initials JPU (34), a resident of Sleman, resorted to printing and circulating counterfeit money due to pressing economic hardship. JPU targeted small shops in the Tempel area of Sleman to pass off his fake banknotes.
The Head of Public Relations at Sleman Police, Inspector Argo Anggoro, revealed that JPU’s criminal idea had been on his mind since May 2026. From that point, JPU ordered an HP-brand printer costing Rp 2.2 million to carry out his plan.
Shortly afterwards, the printer JPU ordered arrived on 4 June 2026. JPU immediately began experimenting with printing counterfeit money with his new printer.
“JPU did it all by himself. So he counterfeited, stored and circulated the notes on his own — there was no network,” Argo explained when contacted on Thursday (16/7/2026).
“Then it all started with experimenting. He was experimenting because his economic circumstances were inadequate, so he tried to find a way out in an improper manner,” he continued.
According to Argo, JPU repeatedly tried printing counterfeit notes using coarse paper that was cut and joined together with paper glue. Initially, he printed denominations ranging from Rp 5,000 to Rp 50,000 and up to Rp 100,000.
After several attempts, once he felt the fake notes closely resembled genuine ones, JPU began circulating them at small grocery shops in the Sleman area. His method was to buy goods such as cigarettes and instant noodles using the counterfeit notes and request change.
“The suspect JPU circulated them in the Sleman area, particularly in Tempel. We have secured around Rp 250,000 that was spent,” Argo disclosed.
“He sought out shops and stalls on the outskirts, in the villages, where those minding the stalls were mostly elderly and did not have the ability to examine the money. So he spent the notes, received goods, and got genuine money in return,” he added.
JPU’s activities finally came to an end on 3 July 2026. On that day, JPU acted at the shop of a victim with the initials IY (54) in Tempel. JPU bought a pack of 12 76-kretek cigarettes priced at Rp 18,000 using a counterfeit Rp 50,000 note, receiving Rp 32,000 in change.
Afterwards, JPU sped off on his Honda Beat to look for other grocery shops. The victim, referred to as IZ, was initially unaware, but upon re-examining the fake note from JPU, grew suspicious and reported the matter to the Tempel Police.
“Only then did the victim feel it, scrutinise it and touch it, and became certain the money was fake. Then he reported it to us. We confirmed it and had it checked at a bank. It turned out the money was indeed counterfeit. Only then did we launch an investigation,” Argo said.
JPU was successfully apprehended by officers from the Tempel Police Criminal Investigation Unit on 6 July 2026 at his home in the Ngaglik area of Sleman. He is currently being detained at the Tempel Police Detention Centre.
“In total we secured 202 sheets — 153 sheets in Rp 50,000 denominations and 49 sheets in Rp 100,000 denominations. Since these are not genuine banknotes but counterfeit money, we refer to them as sheets rather than nominal values, because they are no longer an item of value,” he explained.
JPU has been charged under Article 36, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Law Number 7 of 2011 on Currency, in conjunction with Article 374 of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code, carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment.