TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) publicly appreciated the work of authorities at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport after aviation security on Monday managed to arrest a criminal syndicate that makes fake Covid-19 test results.

“The Soekarno-Hatta airport police along with other stakeholders had acted in support of the airport’s collective goal, healthy flights,” said the Soekarno-Hatta executive general manager Agus Haryadi on Monday.

After condemning such actions committed by the syndicate, Agus assured that none of Angkasa Pura II employees were involved in the criminal syndicate and called for stakeholders to “Work closely, heighten awareness to not give any space for any other Covid-19 test result forgers,” he asserts.

AP II along with the Indonesian Health Ministry have increased its monitoring following the incident by implementing massive inspections to prevent forged health reports in the future by better utilizing the eHAC app which helps validate the authenticity of an individual’s test result.

Reported on Monday, Police detained 15 people of a syndicate allegedly forging negative results of COVID-19 swab tests, rapid antibody tests, or rapid antigen tests at the airport.

“The health documents are negative results of swab tests from various health institutions, which are mandatory to board air transport modes,” said the airport's police chief, Sr. Comr. Adi Ferdian Saputra, on Monday, Jan. 18.

The airport police’s chief of criminal investigation unit, Comr. Akhmad Alexander Yurikho, reiterated that the suspects were active employees at the airport.

“They took advantage of the pandemic situation and condition,” said Iman, adding that the syndicate had run the business from October 2020 to January 2021.

Also Read: Rapid Antigen Tests Mandatory for Passengers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport

JONIANSYAH HARDJONO