Police Arrest a Scammer in the 'Sultan of Nusantara' Modus, the Victim Donated Rp50.8 Million Promised to Clean Up Assets and Go on Hajj

Illustration of the case of fraud in the guise of "Sultan Nusantara" in Banyumas Regency, Central Java. ANTARA/AI Illustration/Sumarwoto

PURWOKERTO - Police have uncovered a case of fraud disguised as "Sultan Nusantara" in Banyumas Regency, Central Java, after a resident of Sokaraja suffered a loss of up to IDR 50.8 million due to promises of treasure cleaning and pilgrimage by the suspect who claimed to be a descendant of the sultan.

Head of the Banyumas City Police, Kombes Petrus P Silalahi, said the Criminal Investigation Unit (Satreskrim) of the Banyumas Police had named a man with the initials W (51) as a suspect in the case.

"The suspect convinced the victim that his property must be cleaned by paying a certain amount of royalties so that it would not be haram in the sight of God. The victim was also promised to be sent on a pilgrimage," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 26.

He said the suspect, who resides in Arcawinangun Village, Purwokerto Timur District, Banyumas, is known to regularly hold religious studies at his house every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with around 30 participants.

The victim, whose initials are AS, a businessman from Sokaraja, initially knew the suspect when he came to treat cupping in September 2025.

"After that, the victim was invited to attend a routine study held by the suspect," he said.

In this activity, he said, the suspect claimed to be the grandson of Sultan Hamid II and said that the victim's palm oil land in Kalimantan was the sultan's family heritage.

The suspect then influenced the victim by saying that all of the victim's business results were "haram" so they had to be cleaned up through the payment of royalties periodically.

In this case, the victim was asked to deposit money every 20 days for Rp3 million.

When the victim harvested oil palm in January 2026, the suspect again asked for a royalty payment of up to Rp50 million.

"The victim finally agreed to pay Rp. 40 million through a gradual transfer to the suspect's account or the third party's account," he said.

In addition, he said, the suspect also asked for an additional IDR 1.8 million on the grounds of helping other study members who were experiencing economic difficulties.

As a result of the series of requests, the total loss of the victim reached Rp. 50.8 million before the victim finally stopped paying and reported the case to the Banyumas Police on May 8, 2026.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with Article 492 or Article 486 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code.

The police chief appealed to the public to be more critical of parties who represent the descendants of a kingdom or certain figures in religious activities, especially if accompanied by a request for money.

"Don't easily believe anyone who claims to be a descendant of nobility and then asks for financial compensation under the guise of cleaning up assets or guaranteeing worship. Immediately report to the nearest police station if you find indications like this," he said.