Riau Police Arrest Perpetrators Of SPHP Rice Mixers

The Special Criminal Directorate (Ditreskrimsus) of the Riau Police arrested R, the perpetrator who mixed the SPHP brand rice belonging to Perum Bulog in Pekanbaru City. He is an old player and is said to be running two modes to double the profits.

"We have revealed the practice of mixing SPHP rice and repacking low quality rice which clearly violates the Consumer Protection Act," said Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryyawan as quoted on Saturday, July 26.

"This is not only a matter of trade fraud, but a crime that harms the small people, including our children who really need nutritious food," he continued.

Herry said the first mode used by R was mixing medium rice with reject rice.

"Then repackaged into 5 kilograms of SPHP rice sacks and sold to the market at a price of Rp. 13 thousand per kilogram, even though the capital is only around Rp. 6 thousand to Rp. 8 thousand," he said.

Meanwhile, in the second mode, R allegedly bought low quality rice from the Pelalawan area and repackaged it in premium branded rice sacks such as Aira, Family, Red Dara Children, to Kuriak Kusuik. "So it seems as if it is a superior product," explained Herry.

This action, Herry said, injures the government's good intentions in the SPHP program or Stabilization of Food Supply and Prices as stipulated in Law Number 18 of 2012. The public should get access to quality rice at affordable prices.

The President himself has emphasized the importance of maintaining national food security because the entire production ecosystem is supported by people's money, ranging from fertilizers, fuel, irrigation, to subsidies. When a greedy person destroys it for personal gain, that's what the President calls serakahnomics, said the Kapolda.

Meanwhile, Riau Police Dirreskrimsus Kombes Ade Kuncoro revealed that the disclosure of this case was carried out by the Riau Police Ditreskrimsus Sub-Directorate I team on Thursday, July 24. His party visited a rice shop on Jalan Sail, Rejosari Village, Tenayan Raya District, Pekanbaru City at around 15.00 WIB.

From the results of the examination, R refilled the SPHP sack with rice fields from Pelalawan. He then weighed and sewed it using a sewing machine before it was marketed to consumers.

In this activity, evidence was found in the form of 79 sacks of SPHP rice packaged 5 kilograms containing mixed rice, 4 other branded sacks which were also filled with rice fields, 18 empty sacks of SPHP, one digital scale unit, one sewing machine, 12 rolled threads, and two bowls.

The police also found several premium branded sacks containing low quality rice. The total amount of mixed rice that was successfully secured is estimated at 8 to 9 tons but a detailed calculation is still being carried out.

"The perpetrator will be charged with Article 62 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 8 paragraph (1) letters e and f, as well as Article 9 paragraph (1) letters d and h of Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection. We are also examining witnesses, experts, and tracing the possibility of other perpetrators in this fraudulent rice distribution network," concluded Kombes Ade.