The Case Of The COVID-19 Social Assistance In NTB, The Police Determine A Woman As A Suspect And Enter The DPO

Director of General Criminal Investigation (Dirreskrimum) NTB Police Kombes Hari Brata/ Antara

MATARAM - Investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the West Nusa Tenggara Police have named a suspect in a case of alleged fraud and embezzlement with the mode of distributing social assistance (bansos) to communities affected by COVID-19.

The Director of General Criminal Investigation (Dirreskrimum) of the NTB Polda Kombes Hari Brata in Mataram, Monday, December 20, said that the suspect suspected of committing fraud and embezzlement with a value of billions of rupiah was a woman with the initials BE from Ampenan, Mataram City.

"We have named him a suspect as well as a DPO (wanted list)," said Hari Brata as quoted by Antara.

He explained that BE entered the police DPO because he never appeared before investigators. Every time investigators make a call, BE is always absent for no reason.

"Never attended the call, that's why we put it in the DPO," he said.

In this case, BE runs a fraud and embezzlement mode by buying groceries from several people or agents. From the agreement, payments are made in several stages.

"So the first and second payments reportedly went smoothly, but then disappeared, that's why this case emerged from the victim's report," he said. One of the reporters, namely Hirzan admitted that he was a victim of BE fraud. Hirzan said that BE came to him in January 2021.

At that time, BE claimed to have received a work contract from the Indonesian Women Entrepreneurs Association (Iwapi) for the procurement of basic necessities.

"Because there is a work contract, he asked us as a supplier. He bought 50 tons of rice, 5 tons of sugar, and 5 tons of oil. That's a total of IDR 1.2 billion," he said.