Following Police Raid Tax Fraudsters From China

The house targeted for the raid (Rizky Adytia / VOI)

JAKARTA - Monday afternoon, November 25, police members of the General and Special Criminal Investigation Directorate gathered at the Polda Metro Jaya compound. They lined up neatly to hear directions. The long and short guns are ready to hand. The raids against the 'Telecommunication Fraud' fraud syndicate from China in six locations are ready to be carried out. And VOI, took part in the raid.

We had to wait for about 30 minutes before the trip actually started. Armed with smart phones and sound recording devices, we went to the location. Our destination is a rental house on Jalan Anggrek Neli II, Slipi, West Jakarta. By bus, we traveled for about 20 minutes. Our iron bull mark is traveling at great speed.

Sitting in the back row allowed us to observe the situation more closely. The driver who drives the tour bus - deliberately used as a disguise - is very adept at cutting traffic. The atmosphere inside is quite quiet. Only faint laughter could be heard from the members of the police who were in the same cabin with us. Either real laughter or laughter to disguise the tension we were actually hearing.

Approaching the location of the raid, the bus pulled over. At least five minutes we waited until the signal was given a raid. The situation on the bus began to change. We felt very well how the calm atmosphere was suddenly tense. Several police officers on the bus began to look outside the cabin, looking for the target of the raid.

Cue received over the telephone line. A telephone that immediately makes the driver dive deeper into the gas. It only took a moment, before the bus went back slowly at about 30 kilometers per hour. Just right. The location of the raid was only about a hundred meters from the location where the bus pulled over the last time. The situation was getting tense. The bus center door opened. The police rushed out at once.

Brown walled house

The gate of the targeted house is slightly open. The man in black who was seen between the gate was the first catch. The first screams were heard when a police officer asked him to enter the house. Other shouts followed, loudly around the house with the dominant light brown wall color.

"Get in! Open the door, quickly open it!" shouted a policeman.

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The first man in black was immediately dragged into the house. On the first floor, there is only one employee. He is called the house keeper. The police, which numbered 15 people, immediately spread to all corners of the house.

The garage is the only entrance. The stench was the first we encountered. Around the garage, household trash scattered. Navigating the back room, the police burst in before climbing the stairs. Not long after, a loud voice was heard. The clerk broke the door of a room.

On the second floor, dozens of suspects were immediately secured. Of the four rooms, they were immediately taken to the ground floor. The whole catch had the same reaction: bowed. "Everything from inside the room," said a policeman who carried another suspect down the floor.

All the catch is collected. A number of police officers collected data. Meanwhile, other policemen searched the entire room for evidence. On the second floor, the police found evidence in the form of millions of rupiah in cash. Meanwhile, on the first floor, dozens of cellphones were secured.

The house targeted for the raid (Rizky Adytia / VOI)

Our findings

When the police recorded his arrest, we tried to navigate the house. We immediately caught the dirty impression. Bad smell enveloped the whole house. Mess, obviously. About 19 wooden boxes with foam inside are neatly lined up in several corners of the house.

Later we learned that it was this object that was used as a tool to commit fraud. "This (box) is used as the perpetrator to act. So it seems soundproof," said Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Pol Yusri Yunus.

In addition, this house seems closed. In fact, it feels dark because the windows are covered in black foam. The conditions of the six rooms on the first and second floors were no less disgusting. Bunk beds fill the rooms. Of course with the same messy conditions.

Situation in the house (Rizky Adytia / VOI)

Returning to the process of examining the suspects, we found that the police had difficulty extracting information from the perpetrators, most of whom were Chinese nationals. Language is an obstacle. The translator application was chosen to assist the examination process. Unfortunately, the results were not optimal. Finally, bringing in a translator is a solution.

Checks started. A number of statements were taken from the suspects. The mode of fraud by the suspect is to offer assistance to solve various tax problems. Later, the suspects will ask the victim for a sum of money for the fake assistance.

Several hours passed, the confessions of all the suspects had not yet been finalized. At the same time, Yusri Yunus again gave his statement. This time, it was about five other locations that were also the targets of raids.

The other five locations are Griyaloka BSD, Pantai Indah Kapuk, Bandengan, Kebon Jeruk Intercon Housing, and Puri Mega. Even so, Yunus was unable to provide definitive information regarding the number of suspects that were secured from the simultaneous raids.

What is clear, the entire catch is one network. According to Yunus, to expose this fraudulent practice, the police first conducted an investigation for three months.

"Based on the available information reports, the team immediately moved quickly. Immediately carried out raids in six locations, one of which was in the kemanggisan area," said Yusri.

Enter the night

Afternoon has turned to night. The moon also shines. Investigation of the perpetrators was decided to be temporarily suspended. Two mini buses were prepared to carry dozens of suspects to detention cells. In turn, dozens of Chinese citizens got into the car. Of course, with fully armed guard escort. After all the suspects sat down regularly, the driver of the two buses immediately stepped on the gas. Polda Metro Jaya is the destination.

Not long after, the Director of the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation at Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Pol Iwan Kurniawan, left the location of the raid. From his sign, he will return to convey the progress of the examination results. We and other reporters immediately surrounded him. A number of new facts were immediately presented. Apparently, not only six locations are hotbeds of fraud. He conveyed that there are two other points in East Java.

"So, there are seven location points, there are approximately five in Jakarta, one in Tangerang, and there are two developments in East Java in the Malang area," he said.

Arrest of fraud syndicates (Rizky Adytia / VOI)

Not only conveying about the increasing number of network nests. Several other things were also explained. Wearing a white shirt combined with black trousers, Iwan explained that the targets of the suspects were usually other Chinese nationals in Indonesia. "Together they usually call the citizens of the country there (China), saying that you (the victim) have made a mistake so you need to be contacted," he said.

However, when asked why Indonesia was again chosen as the location of the crime, Iwan did not answer. It is still being explored, he said. The question was raised because in 2017, Polda Metro Jaya revealed a similar case. The police raided a luxury house in the Pantai Indah Kapuk area, Penjaringan, North Jakarta. Approximately, 40 foreigners from Taiwan were arrested.

Although he did not provide an answer regarding this matter, Iwan emphasized that in the simultaneous raids at six points, the police arrested 66 Chinese nationals. Not to forget, some of the items found at the location were turned into goods.

"After we conducted searches, we found approximately 66 suspects. And there are several other pieces of evidence such as computers, cell phones, passports, identity cards," said Iwan as he got into the car and left the raid location.