Police Determine Bodong Arisan Bandar Who Loses Billions Of Victims As Suspects

The victims of the bodong social gathering came to the Rejang Lebong Police Headquarters to undergo an examination, Monday (4/7/2022). ANTARA/Nur Muhammad

REJANG LEBONG - Investigators of the Rejang Lebong Resort Police, Bengkulu, have named a young mother with the initials BO alias Bu as a suspect in the bodong social gathering case that caused hundreds of participants to suffer cumulative losses of up to billions of rupiah.

The Head of the Rejang Lebong Police, AKBP Tonny Kurniawan, represented by the Criminal Investigation Unit AKP Sampson Sosa Hutapea, said the 24-year-old young woman suspected of being a fraudulent social gathering dealer was named a suspect in cases of embezzlement and fraud.

BO or Ms as a bodong social gathering dealer or admin is a resident of Karang Anyar Village, East Curup District, Rejang Lebong Regency. She and her husband, AS (27) were arrested by officers on Monday (4/7) while in Teladan Village, South Curup District.

"Currently, we have determined the person concerned as a suspect, he has admitted that he embezzled some of the funds, then there are also some fictitious data offered to customers," said AKP Sampson Sosa Hutapea as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 5.

There is also the suspect's husband, who has the initials AS, he said, currently his status is still as a witness and is still under investigation by investigators.

From the examination of the suspect BO, it was found that he had embezzled some of the participant's arisan money and also created a fictitious social gathering slot that was offered to other participants for over-slots.

"The amount of the loss has yet to be determined, but according to the person concerned, the perpetrators have embezzled hundreds of millions of rupiah. Currently, the money has been used up for living necessities and buying other goods," explained AKP Sampson.

The suspect was charged with embezzlement and fraud, and it is still being developed whether this can be subject to a violation of the Banking Law and does not rule out money laundering or money laundering.

According to AKP Sampson, his party had examined 30 witnesses who were victims of the social gathering, while the evidence that was secured were cellphones, bank account books, and ATM cards.

Previously, hundreds of residents of Rejang Lebong Regency and a number of other areas in Bengkulu were victims of a fake social gathering controlled by a dealer or an arisan admin with the initials BO or Bu, with a cumulative loss of billions of rupiah.