Police Arrest Five Mafia Of Subsidized Diesel Fuel In Muaragembong

Bekasi Metro Police Chief Commissioner Gidion Arif Setyawan shows evidence of criminal acts of misappropriating the distribution of subsidized diesel / Photo: Antara

BEKASI REGENCY - The Bekasi Metropolitan Police have arrested five perpetrators involved in the subsidized diesel fuel mafia in Pantai Mekar Village, Muaragembong District, Bekasi Regency, West Java.

Bekasi Metro Police Chief, Commissioner Gidion Arif Setyawan, said the gang who were arrested had the initials YW (44), RD (33), MM (50), EN (40), and AL (43) after deviating from the distribution of diesel fuel.

"In principle, we are securing government policies in this regard related to distribution and guaranteeing the availability of fuel so that the distribution chain can be felt by users, especially the small community", said Commissioner Gidion when revealing the case at the Bekasi Metro Police Headquarters, Friday, July 22.

He said that the type of diesel fuel oil is one of the objects of the trading system guaranteed and subsidized by the government so deviation from the distribution chain process is one form of an effort to break the law.

"Because diesel is one of the objects of a guaranteed trade system, then it gets subsidies from the government, we must secure the trade process as well as possible", he said, quoted by Antara.

He explained that the diesel fuel purchased by the five suspects at the Batujaya gas station, Karawang Regency should be distributed to fishermen and farmers in Muaragembong District.

The five suspects actually distributed the diesel fuel outside the Muaragembong sub-district, and it was strongly suspected that the five had sold diesel fuel to several businessmen for industrial purposes.

This condition causes the subsidized diesel not to reach the small community, especially the local farmers and fishermen of Muaragembong so that they find it difficult to find fuel.

"They even distribute it again outside the city, to Cilincing, even indications for industrial needs", he said.

The five suspects were charged with Article 55 of Indonesian Law (UU) number 22 of 2001 concerning oil and natural gas as amended in Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation junto article 55 of the Criminal Code and or 56 of the Criminal Code.

"The threat of punishment for the five suspects is imprisonment for a maximum of six years to account for their actions", he said.