Couple Owning A Cafe In Kelapa Gading Suspects For Violating Emergency PPKM Provisions, Threatened With 6 Years In Prison

West Jakarta Police personnel found a crowd of foreigners at a cafe in the Kelapa Gading area, North Jakarta (ANTARA/HO-North Jakarta Metro Police)

JAKARTA - Two owners of the Authentic Restaurant and Lounge Cafe in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta were named suspects after being arrested by officers who were still operating and violating the provisions for the Implementation of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

North Jakarta Deputy Chief of Police AKBP Nasriadi said the two suspects were a husband and wife couple. One of them has Nigerian citizenship and the other is a resident of Bekasi, West Java.

"The team conducted an investigation and identified two suspects in the activity, namely Mr. PB (48) and Sister AS (43) as the owner of the cafe, they are husband and wife," Nasriadi said at the North Jakarta Metro Police Headquarters as reported by Antara, Monday, 5 July.

During the raid on the restaurant location, the police also arrested 81 people. 60 of them are foreigners who participated in the cafe event in the Kelapa Gading area, North Jakarta.

In the cafe, there were guests singing, some playing billiards, some drinking and so on. "There are many cafe visitors, nightlife," he said.

The police immediately brought order to the place, then conducted a PCR swab test for visitors. As a result, three foreigners and an Indonesian citizen who worked as a cashier at the cafe were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

Based on the results of the examination, all workers and visitors to the cafe were suspected of violating Article 93 of Law Number 6 of 2018 concerning Health Quarantine and Article 14 of Law Number 4 of 1984 concerning Disease Outbreaks.

Meanwhile, against cafe owners, the police also imposed a sedition article in the Criminal Code article 160. The cafe owner is suspected of inciting others to disobey the Emergency PPKM rules which are in effect from 3-20 July 2021.

"The threat (to PB and the US) is six years in prison," said Nasriadi.