Tunisian allegedly carries fake bills

JAKARTA: A man claiming to be a Tunisian national was nabbed by police after he tried to pass off counterfeit U.S. money to a taxi driver, Jakarta Police say.

Marco, 28, alias Ben Amiur, was apprehended in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, with US$2,500 in counterfeit notes in his possession.

"We arrested him at about 1 a.m. this morning. We confiscated two mobile phones, and US$2,500 counterfeit money as evidence," city fraud squad officer Adj. Sr. Comr Aris Munandar said.

The arrest came after the suspect quarreled with a taxi driver who refused to be paid in dollars.

"The taxi driver was suspicious of the dollars. A police patrol took the suspect to the nearby police station, and checked the dollars," Aris said.

The police then contacted immigration office after the suspect could not provide a passport. -- JP