Sleman Man Arrested for Counterfeiting Money Using Home Printer to Buy Cigarettes
A man with the initials JPU (34) from Sleman has been arrested for audaciously producing counterfeit money using only a printer, opaque paper, and paper glue to shop at small stalls. His crime was uncovered after he bought cigarettes in the Tempel area.
The Head of Public Relations for the Sleman Police, Iptu Argo Anggoro, stated that JPU had intended to make counterfeit money since May 2026. JPU ordered an HP brand printer for Rp 2.2 million, which arrived on 4 June 2026, and he immediately began trying to produce fake notes.
"JPU did it himself. He counterfeited, stored, and circulated the money alone; there was no network," Argo said on Thursday (16/7/2026). He added that the suspect started by experimenting due to his poor economic situation, leading him to seek a solution in an unlawful manner.
Argo explained that JPU repeatedly tried to print counterfeit money using cut opaque paper glued together. He initially printed denominations of Rp 5,000, Rp 50,000, and Rp 100,000. After several attempts, he began circulating the fake notes at grocery stalls in the Sleman region, using them to buy cigarettes and instant noodles while receiving genuine money as change.
"The suspect JPU circulated the notes in Sleman, specifically in the Tempel area. We have secured around Rp 250,000 worth of goods he purchased," Argo revealed. He noted that JPU targeted shops in remote villages, often guarded by elderly people who lacked the ability to check the notes, allowing him to obtain goods and real money as change.
On 3 July 2026, JPU struck at a stall owned by a victim with the initials IY (54) in Tempel. He bought a pack of 12 kretek cigarettes for Rp 18,000 using a fake Rp 50,000 note and received Rp 32,000 in genuine change. The victim initially did not suspect anything, but upon re-examining the note, he became doubtful and reported it to the Tempel Police.
"After feeling it, holding it up to the light, and touching it, he was convinced the money was fake. He then reported it to us. We verified it and had it checked at the bank, which confirmed it was indeed counterfeit. We then launched an investigation," Argo stated. JPU was arrested at his home in Ngaglik, Sleman, on 6 July 2026 and is currently detained at the Tempel Police station.
Police seized a total of 202 sheets of counterfeit money, consisting of 153 sheets of Rp 50,000 notes and 49 sheets of Rp 100,000 notes. JPU is charged under Article 36, paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of Law Number 7 of 2011 concerning Currency, in conjunction with Article 374 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.