Three men arrested for Rp 100m swindle

Three men arrested for Rp 100m swindle

JAKARTA (JP): City police have arrested three men for
allegedly using the names of some senior officers to tap money
from a number of large companies.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam said on
Tuesday the suspects, identified as Supardi alias Pardi, 27,
Sumardi Toha alias Ode, 27, and Burhan alias Shabu, 26, were
arrested at their rented residence on Jl. Margasatwa in Pondok
Labu, South Jakarta on Sunday.

"The arrest was made after their colleague, Edi Margono, was
arrested in February and subsequently led us to them," Anton told
reporters.

Edi alias Chandra Dayat, was arrested on Feb. 22 as he was
withdrawing Rp 100 million (US$10,000) from gold and copper
mining concession holder in Irian Jaya, PT Freeport Indonesia, at
Bank Niaga on Jl. Thamrin, in Central Jakarta.

Anton said the money was transferred upon request of Ode who
introduced himself as Irian Jaya Police chief Brig. Gen. Made
Mangku Pastika. Ode called a Freeport director Prihadi Santoso at
the company's head office on Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta on
Feb. 21 saying that he wanted to borrow Rp 100 million from the
company.

Prihadi then asked his secretary to remit the money to the
account demanded by Ode. However Prihadi later became suspicious
and called Pastika's secretary at Irian Jaya Police headquarters
to confirm the request for a loan.

The secretary told Prihadi that the police chief had not asked
to borrow any money.

Edi told detectives that he had also opened other bank
accounts in Jakarta under the names of Lampung Police chief Brig.
Gen. Suprihadi Sahadi and North Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen.
Erald Dotulong.

Anton said Pardi took his turn on Feb. 19, demanding Wayan
Sumeta of PT Barito Mas Jayapura for Rp 200 million and asked the
money to be transferred into "Made Mangku Pastika's account" at
the Krekot branch of Bank BNI in Central Jakarta.

Wayan transferred Rp 100 million on Feb. 19 to the Bank BNI
account.

"Between Feb. 19 and Feb. 21, Edi Margono and Burhan -- who
provided the suspects with information such as telephone numbers
and further details of Prihadi's and Wayan's lifestyles --
withdrew a total of Rp 50 million from the Kramat branch of Bank
BNI, and handed it to Pardi and Ode as payment for the job, at a
hotel in Central Jakarta."

Burhan managed to escape when police arrested Edi on Feb. 22.

"Edi admitted to having received only 15 percent of the loot,
since he was in charge of only withdrawing the cash, while
Burhan, who provided information, received 42.5 percent," Anton
said.

"Meanwhile, both Pardi and Ode, who claimed to be police
chiefs, together received the remaining 42.5 percent."

Anton said that accounts were opened in Bank International
Indonesia (BII) at the Jatinegara branch and Tendean branch under
the name of Suprihadi, while two accounts under the name of Erald
were opened in Bank BNI and Bank Lippo.

"Edi had fooled two other parties, one of them PT Gunung Madu
Plantation, into transferring money into an account under the
name of Brig. Gen. Suprihadi," Anton said. (ylt)