Police have apprehended a 39-year-old man, identified only by his initials MP, who was involved in the production and attempted circulation of counterfeit money. The significant arrest took place on Monday, March 30, at a hotel located in the Bogor Regency area of West Java.
Operating solitarily within his hotel room, MP meticulously crafted bogus Rp 100,000 denomination banknotes, amassing a staggering total nominal value of Rp 645 million. Authorities revealed that these substantial sums were intended for circulation prior to the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday. Furthermore, the suspect’s elaborate scheme also involved masquerading as a “money-doubling shaman” to defraud unsuspecting individuals.
AKBP Robby Syahfery, Head of Sub-directorate II Ekbank at the Polda Metro Jaya, disclosed that MP had a previous brush with his illicit activities. Last year, the suspect attempted to use Rp 30 million in counterfeit currency to settle a debt. However, the fraudulent attempt was quickly exposed, and the bogus notes were rejected. This detail was shared during a press conference held at the Polda Metro Jaya headquarters on Wednesday, April 1.
While Robby did not specify whether the party defrauded in the previous incident filed a police report, he emphasized that in this current case, the extensive amount of counterfeit money produced by MP had not yet entered public circulation. The suspect, according to his confession, had not managed to offer the fake currency to new victims, with his primary modus being to falsely claim in his village that he possessed the ability to multiply money.
The police are actively investigating the potential scope of MP’s “money-doubling shaman” deception. Authorities are currently delving deeper to ascertain if there have been any victims who fell prey to the suspect’s elaborate and fraudulent money multiplication scheme.
For his egregious actions, MP now faces serious legal repercussions. He has been charged under several articles of the Criminal Code (KUHP), specifically Article 374, Article 375, and Article 20, which pertain to the counterfeiting of state currency. These charges carry a severe penalty, including a maximum prison sentence ranging from 10 to 15 years, along with substantial fines in categories VII to VIII.
Summary
Police arrested a 39-year-old man, identified as MP, in Bogor Regency on March 30 for producing and attempting to circulate counterfeit Rp 100,000 banknotes. MP meticulously crafted bogus notes totaling Rp 645 million in his hotel room, intending them for circulation before Eid al-Fitr. He also masqueraded as a “money-doubling shaman” to defraud individuals.
Authorities revealed MP had previously attempted to pay a Rp 30 million debt with fake currency last year, which was detected and rejected. In the current case, the large amount of counterfeit money had not yet entered public circulation, though police are investigating potential victims of his money-doubling scheme. MP faces charges under Articles 374, 375, and 20 of the Criminal Code, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 10 to 15 years.