Police Arrest Suspects of Counterfeit Singaporean Dollar Case in Batam
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Editor
31 January 2024 21:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The regional police of Riau Islands alongside Singaporean police arrested four suspects in a counterfeit Singaporean dollar distribution case. The evidence included were 390 notes of S$10,000.
According to a police statement, the case began on September 17, 2023, when Burhanuddin, one of the suspects, brought ten S$10,000 notes to Batam. Upon arrival, Burhanuddin asked a witness named Eka to exchange the money.
Eka found that the money was counterfeit, according to the criminal investigation director of the Riau Islands regional police Chief Commissioner Adip Rojikan in a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
Refusing to exchange the money, Eka offered the process to their friend, Muhammad Tongnam Hanafi Sihite, or MTHS. He then exchanged the money at Marina Bay Casino in Singapore, since Batam's money changer was unable to do so. "In Singapore, two notes of the Singaporean dollars could not be used for transaction, and MTHS was then arrested by Singaporean police," Adip said.
MTHS contacted Eka for help. "After, Eka reported the case to Riau Islands police, and when Eka's friend came back to Batam, we started the investigation," he added.
The police arrested Burhanudin in Pekanbaru on November 15, 2023. "After probing Burhanudin, we found that he partnered with Ahmad from Bogor, thus we arrested Ahmad," Adip explained.
From Ahmad, Yasin's involvement was discovered. "Lastly, on January 27, we arrested the mastermind of this operation, named Ciong," he added.
Riau Islands police member Police Commissioner Syaiful Badawi said that the police are still trying to locate where the counterfeit Singaporean dollars were printed.
Syarif also explained that Eka and MTHS were a victim in this case since Burhanudin convinced both of them that the money was legit. "Eka was not involved in the network," he said. Burhanudin also promised a 30 percent incentive for Eka and MTHS.
The suspects in this case were charged with Article 245 in conjunction with Article 55 (1) of the Criminal Code.
YOGI EKA SAHPUTRA
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