Fictitious Arisan Tricks Dozens Of Mothers In Karawang To Earn IDR 1.9 Billion Profit

Karawang Police Chief, AKBP Wirdhanto Hadicaksono. (ANTARA/Ali Khumaini)

The Karawang Police have uncovered cases of embezzlement and fraud in the form of fictitious social gatherings called 'Get Arisan'. Dozens of victims were mostly women or housewives (IRT).

"We have arrested one perpetrator in this case, with the initials AH (22), a resident of Tegalurung Village, Cilamaya Kulon District, Karawang," said Karawang Police Chief, AKBP Wirdhanto Hadicaksono, when exposing the case at the Karawang Police Headquarters, West Java (West Java), Monday, October 30, was confiscated by Antara.

Before being arrested, the perpetrator fled to the Bogor area, but was finally arrested by the police around Johar Karawang Market, on October 14, 2023.

Wirdhanto said that the case was revealed after his party received nine reporting complaints related to fictitious social gatherings. The report was submitted by a number of victims who were participants in fictitious social gatherings.

Wirdhanto said the victim had started arriving at the Karawang Police Headquarters since September 2023, to report the perpetrator. They admitted that they were deceived by the perpetrator who turned out to be only carrying out fictitious social gatherings.

The modus operandi used by the perpetrators was to collect money from the victims with the lure of getting multiple benefits.

"The perpetrator promised to return the victim's money many times over. For example, the victim who deposited Rp. 3 million, three or four weeks later he could get Rp. 5 million," he said.

The police chief said that each victim deposited money to the perpetrators with varying values, some Rp. 3 million and some of them deposited Rp. 300 million.

From the results of the investigation, he said, the victims of the fictitious social gathering reached around 50 people, most of whom were housewives.

The 50 people have not received their social gatherings, even though they have deposited money with varying values. If the total social gathering money for 50 people reaches Rp1.9 billion.

According to the Police Chief, at first the perpetrators managed to lend money from the deposit, and gave benefits to a number of victims. However, after the social gathering participants increased, the perpetrators were unable to manage the money.

Moreover, the perpetrator admitted that he had used the arisan money to buy rice fields, cars, motorbikes, and to make poses.

From the arrest of the perpetrator, the police confiscated a number of evidences in the form of a number of assets belonging to the perpetrator, including Vespa motor vehicles, Honda BR-V, and Honda PCX, bank savings books, and two Oppo brand phones.

To account for his actions, the perpetrator is now being held at the Karawang Police Headquarters detention center. The perpetrator was charged with Article 378 of the Criminal Code and/or Article 372 of the Criminal Code regarding embezzlement and/or fraud with the threat of imprisonment of four years.