Woman Fugitive Case Of COVID-19 Social Assistance Fraud In NTB Detected On Java Island

Director of the General Criminal Investigation of the NTB Police, Kombes Hari Brata/ANTARA

MATARAM - A female suspect with the initials BE who is on the police wanted list related to cases of alleged fraud and embezzlement with the mode of distributing social assistance (bansos) to communities affected by COVID-19 in West Nusa Tenggara, was detected on the island of Java.

"Based on our search results, the suspect is no longer in NTB, but outside the region, on the island of Java," said Director of General Crime Investigation of the NTB Police Kombes Hari Brata in Mataram, quoted by Antara, Monday, January 10.

He confirmed that his party was currently pursuing the fugitive from Ampenan, Mataram City.

"So, we are still mapping the whereabouts of the person concerned. Later, when we are caught, we will immediately make arrests," he said.

The suspect in the fraud and embezzlement case is on the police wanted list (DPO) because he did not attend to the investigator's summons.

"We have called him three times as a suspect, but he was never present. We also searched his house, the suspect was not there, so he was set to enter the police 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 they disappeared, that's why this case emerged from the victim's report," he said.

There are three victims of this mode. Hari confirmed that from the report received by his party.

"There are victims who have lost Rp. 500 million, Rp. 800 million, and Rp. 1.2 billion. The three victims have already reported it, but later, one of the victims withdrew the report, running for a civil lawsuit," he said.