3 Years On The Run, Man Who Tricked North Tapanuli Residents Rp80 Million To Manage LPG Base Permit Arrested

MEDAN - The Criminal Investigation Unit of the North Tapanuli Police (Taput), North Sumatra, arrested a man from Simalungun Regency named Hinca Mampe Tua Simbolon (38) who had been on the run for 3 years.

Hinca was arrested for committing fraud with a victim named Reflon Siregar (57), a resident of Sipahutar 3 Village, Sipahutar District, Taput Regency with the mode of managing an LPG base permit in Sipahutar District, Taput, North Sumatra.

Taput Police Chief AKBP Ronal Sipayung, through the Head of Public Relations Aiptu W Baringbing confirmed the incident. The incident occurred in August 2018.

"The suspect and the victim can get to know each other, because the suspect's friends, Viktor Sinaga and Ramlan Sinaga, both residents of Simalungun Regency, introduced them," said Aiptu Baringbing in his statement, Thursday, January 20.

After the two became acquainted, the suspect first met the victim in Sipahutar District on September 2, 2018. There, the two were involved in a conversation and the victim handed over Rp40 million in cash.

"Then on December 13, 2018, the suspect met the victim in Sipahutar and received another Rp. 25 million from the victim on the grounds that Pertamina had already started processing the permit," he said.

On December 18 2018, the suspect contacted the victim to send another Rp15 million to the account number. The victim again complied with the request by transferring the amount in question.

"However, after waiting according to the promise, the permit did not come out and communication between the suspect and the victim was lost," he said.

Finally, the victim was annoyed and realized that she had been deceived, and reported the incident to the Taput Police on 19 May 2019. The police who received the report immediately conducted an investigation.

"After we carried out an investigation and investigation, the suspect fled. Our officers did not stop to look for the suspect's whereabouts and last week, we received information that he was in Lampung Province," he said.

Knowing his whereabouts, the Taput Police Criminal Investigation Unit team immediately moved to Lampung and succeeded in apprehending the perpetrator at his hiding location, Monday, January 17.

Aiptu Baringbing explained, when investigated by investigators, the suspect admitted to his actions by fraudulently defrauding the victim of Rp80 million to pay for the permit for an LPG gas base in Sipahutar District on behalf of the victim.

"Currently the suspect is still under investigation to dig up additional information whether there is still involvement of other parties in the incident," he said