Selling The Name Of The Mandalika Circuit Project, A Man In NTB Embezzles Hundreds Of Rental Cars

Held a case of embezzlement of rental cars in NTB/ Photo: Rizky Sulistio

JAKARTA - Allegedly embezzling and defrauding hundreds of rental cars, the Central Lombok Police Criminal Investigation Unit, West Nusa Tenggara, arrested a young man with the initials FD (35), a resident of Upper Peringgerata Village.

"We have arrested the main perpetrator in the car rental fraud case in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. He was a fugitive for more than a week", said Central Lombok Police Chief, AKBP Hery Indra Cahyono, in Praya, quoted on Saturday, November 6.

In addition to securing the perpetrators, members also confiscated dozens of cars of various types and brands.

He said that his party would expand the investigation of the case to reveal other parties involved.

"The amount of evidence seized was 41 units consisting of 19 pickups and 22 private cars as well as IDR 20 million from the perpetrators", he said accompanied by Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Iptu Redho Rizki, when the press released the disclosure of the car rental case at the Central Lombok Police.

In acting, he continued, the perpetrators acted on behalf of the Mandalika Circuit construction project for the World Superbike event and the Lombok Airport Bypass Road project.

It was also said to the victims that the rented car would be included in the Airport Bypass Circuit and Road project.

"It's just a mere modus operandi. However, the fact is that the car was embezzled by the perpetrators by pawning it on to other people. The victims were around 100 people, both in Central Lombok and Mataram", he said.

The police chief also appealed to the public to remain vigilant of various kinds of fraudulent acts, and not to believe easily, and to check the facts on the ground.

Kasatreskrim Central Lombok Police Iptu Redho Rizki Pratama added that the arrest of the perpetrator after his party received a report from one of the victims on behalf of Rupawan (36), a Kopang resident.

The victim reported it to the police because the car rented by the perpetrator was not returned after the deadline according to the agreement.

Subsequently, the police conducted an investigation and succeeded in arresting the perpetrator in a hiding place, one of the lodgings in Banjarmasin City. This arrest was assisted by members of the NTB Police and the South Kalimantan Police.

From the results of the examination, the perpetrator admitted his actions and had embezzled the car rented from the victims.

To convince the victim, the perpetrator provides a monthly rent of IDR 4 million to IDR 7 million.

"The car that was rented was then pawned with prices that varied from IDR 35 million to IDR 50 million", he said.

So far, he said, the perpetrators did their own thing. However, the evidence that will be confiscated will likely increase due to the confession of about 100 units of embezzled car perpetrators.

The perpetrator admitted that he learned to cheat from YouTube. The money from the mortgage is used to cover the hole dug a car rental fee and for the necessities of life.

"For his actions, the perpetrators were charged with Article 378 of the Criminal Code", he said.