Cianjur Police Arrest Perpetrators Of Fraud Umrah Packages Rp6 Million, Claiming To Get Subsidies From Middle East Donors

Victims of Umrah travel fraud in Cianjur, West Java, reported perpetrator M, a resident of Cikadu District, to the Cianjur Police, Monday (15/1/2024). (ANTARA/Ahmad Fikri)

CIANJUR - The Cianjur Resort Police, West Java, arrested 400 perpetrators of Umrah travel fraud with victims, namely residents of Cikadu District with the initials M, who promised a Umrah package to the Holy Land at a price of Rp. 6 million.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Cianjur Police, AKP Tono Listianto, said that his party received a report related to Umrah fraud.

"We have received reports and conducted investigations, members have been deployed to arrest the perpetrator with the initials M, a resident of Cikadu District," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, January 15.

The police will investigate and raise the status of the investigation to investigate after the perpetrator was arrested while waiting for a report from another victim.

The total number of pilgrims who were about to leave for Umrah to the Holy Land began with the meeting of victim Aban Muhamad Saban (31) with the perpetrators in the Holy Land while carrying out Umrah offering cheap packages of only Rp. 6 million per person.

The perpetrator said that he received a subsidy from donors in the Middle East to dispatch Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia at a cost of Rp. 6 million, even a number of underprivileged residents could leave for free.

"Why can the cost of Umrah be cheap because there are donors from the Middle East, he told me at that time, I believed more because there were several residents who had been sent for free by M, so I became the coordinator for 50 prospective pilgrims," he said.

Abian explained, M is a figure who is quite well known in Cikadu District, so he is increasingly confident and has recruited around 50 prospective pilgrims who intend to go to the Holy Land and deposit money to the perpetrators.

However, Aban began to suspect because the departure schedule that should have been postponed in September was postponed by the perpetrators for various reasons, but until now none of the pilgrims have departed plus the perpetrators have not provided certainty.

"Until today, no one has been dispatched from the travel schedule, which had come out just a schedule because the person concerned has not paid to the travel party," he said.

The attorney for the victim, Topan Nurgraha, said that his party had reported allegations of fraud by M and his brother and the victim, more than 400 people, to the Cianjur Police.

"There were 28 fraudulent victims with more than 400 prospective pilgrims, most of whom were unable to save money from their sweat to be able to leave for the holy land, so we hope that the police will immediately arrest the perpetrators," he said.

Reporter : Ahmad Fikri