Woman busted in Bekasi for credit card fraud

JAKARTA (JP): Bekasi police nabbed a North Jakarta woman Sunday evening for allegedly using a stolen credit card.

The suspect, identified as Isti Rahayu S., 22, a resident of Semper Barat, Cilincing district, North Jakarta, was arrested by Bekasi police at the "Hero" supermarket at around 8 p.m.

"She came to the supermarket with the children of a relative," Lt. Col. Latief Rabar, spokesman for the city police, said yesterday.

After purchasing two articles of children's clothing and some baby goods in the basement, she went upstairs to buy three denim trousers, five T-shirts, a "JJ" shirt at the "Hammer" store.

She then paid for the goods with a credit card. However, the cashier discovered that the card had been blocked by the bank at the request of the owner.

"The card was reported missing by the owner on Friday," said Latief.

The cashier then called Bekasi police who soon came to arrest the suspect.

Later, during the interrogation, police found several other bank cards in the wallet of the suspect, including three Citibank credit cards, one Lippo credit card, one Exim credit card, one Bank Bali credit card and one ATM Lippo card--all of which are believed to have been stolen.

"All the bank cards are registered under different female names, none which are hers," Latief added.

According to Latief, the woman told her interrogators that she had not stolen the cards, but had simply found them on the street.

However, police believe that the suspect had obtained the cards illegally and therefore put her into custody in the Pondok Bambu district pending further investigation. (jsk)