A Gang Of ATM Bobol Call Center Mode Arrested In Palu

Illustration of criminals arrested (ANTARA)

Police officers from Jatanras Satreskrim Gowa Police, with the support of the South Sulawesi Police Resmob, managed to arrest a gang of recidivist ATM machines who were acting across provinces. Two perpetrators were caught red-handed while in action in Palu City, Central Sulawesi.

The two perpetrators, namely Hengky Nasution (27) from Bogor Regency and Amran Setiawan (45) from Depok City were arrested while carrying out their actions against a woman at an ATM in Palu City. They installed a pawnshop and pretended to provide help to the victim.

Luckily, the police who followed them from Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi, managed to apprehend the perpetrators before they drained the victim's ATM.

From the hands of the perpetrators, the police found a number of evidences, including dozens of ATM cards belonging to the victim and fake stickers bearing customer service installed next to the ATM machine.

The modus operandi of the perpetrator is to attach a fake call center logo on the ATM monitor screen. This case is in the spotlight because the perpetrator acted disguised himself as a fake customer service to get the victim's ATM PIN.

As a result of the perpetrator's actions, three victims in Gowa Regency reported losses of up to Rp 73.3 million from the three ATM machines used.

In the release of the disclosure at the Gowa Police Headquarters, last Wednesday, the Head of Public Relations of the South Sulawesi Police, Kombes Pol Komang Suartana, explained that the perpetrator was threatened with a 12-year prison sentence and a fine of Rp 12 billion. Meanwhile, the police are still hunting down two other perpetrators, a woman with the initials PS and a man with the initials RA.

Kasat Reskrim Gowa Police, AKP Bachtiar, added that the perpetrators carried out their actions in a mobile manner with a survey of quiet ATM locations and without the presence of security guards.

Apart from South Sulawesi, the perpetrators also acted in West and Central Sulawesi, creating traces of cross-province crimes that were successfully uncovered by the police.