2 Abusive Journalists In Aceh Arrested For Blackmailing The Village Head

Release of Subulussalam Police Chief AKBP Qori Wicaksono about the case of fake journalists extorting the village head (ANTARA)

ACEH - Investigators at the Subulussalam City Police, Aceh detained two journalists with the initials PS and SP, for allegedly extorting a village head.

"Two unscrupulous media journalists are suspected of being fake we have arrested, after the village head reported the extortion case to the police," said Subulussalam Police Chief AKBP Qori Wicaksono quoted by Antara, Friday, January 8.

In this case, the police also secured evidence in the form of cash amounting to IDR 15 million, consisting of 150 pieces of IDR 100,000 denominations.

AKBP Qori Wicaksono said the two journalists from an online media were suspected of having committed a criminal act of extortion against a village head in Subulussalam City, without being registered with the Press Council.

There was also a modus operandi used by these journalists by reporting that a village head was suspected of having a fake certificate.

Receiving the news, the victim as the village head asked the journalist to delete the news that had been broadcast, but the perpetrator refused the request.

In order to be able to delete the news that has been broadcast, said Qori Wicaksono, the perpetrator who has been named as a suspect asked for a compensation of IDR 50 million from the victim.

However, because he was unable to fulfill the request, negotiations took place between the victim and the perpetrator, so that a fee was agreed to for deleting the news amounting to Rp. 30 million by being paid twice.

Kapolres Qori Wicaksono added that before handing over the money to the perpetrator, the unnamed victim had already contacted the police because he felt he had been extorted.

"We have arrested these two fake journalists while making a transaction. We are still hunting one perpetrator with the initials NL," said the Kapolres added.

The previous NL perpetrator managed to escape after hiding in a house owned by a community leader in the city of Subulussalam.

However, when the police chased him, said the police chief, the perpetrator managed to escape through the back wall of the house of a local community leader.

In this case the police, the two journalists were subject to Article 378 and Article 369 of the Criminal Code concerning fraud and extortion with a maximum imprisonment of four years.