Encouraging Victims Of Illegal Loans To Report To The Police

Photo illustration (Source: VOI)

JAKARTA - The government calls on the public not to pay debts on illegal loans. The public is even encouraged to report to the police if they become victims of banking activities that do not comply with these regulations.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD asked the people who were borrowed to have the courage to report if they were continuously terrorized to return their bills.

Moreover, the government has warned that bills from illegal lending companies do not need to be paid. He said the government is currently trying to follow up on the perpetrators of illegal acts, including online loans.

"Victims must be brave enough to report to the police so that they can get protection if later on more specific protection can be carried out by the Witness and Victim Protection Agency, all of which are provided as legal instruments," Mahfud said in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Friday, October 22.

"Criminally there are several alternatives. Possibly the Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE) Law Articles 27, 29. 32. Article 28 is for example the distribution of indecent photos that are spread to threaten people to be ashamed and this (happens, ed) in many cases," said the former chairman of the Constitutional Court (MK).

Not only that, Mahfud revealed that he had often heard reports about the victim of these online loans (pinjol). In fact, there are those who reported to him that there was a resident who committed suicide after being entangled in an illegal loan.

Initially, said Mahfud, the victim only owed IDR 1.2 million. However, because it was not paid off, the debt swelled and as a result, the victim's family was terrorized by the collectors.

"I have reported it to me, there are people who died because of it (pinjol, ed) but their families were terrorized, ordered to pay. Borrowed IDR 1.2 million, went up, went up, and then their family was terrorized," he said.

However, so far there has been no massive news regarding this, considering that his family has kept it a secret. "The family in the village said he died of stomach pain. So, please spread the word to stop the terrors," said the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK).

Reflecting on this incident, Mahfud MD then asked the public not to hesitate to report to the police if they received threats from illegal loans. "Anyone who becomes a victim is still being terrorized, don't be afraid to report it to the police," he said.

Mahfud ensured that the police and the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) would, if necessary, protect people who were trapped and terrorized.

Furthermore, Mahfud also praised the productivity of the police, which for some time recently continued to arrest disturbing illegal loans. In response, the National Police's Head of Criminal Investigation Unit, Commissioner-General Agus Indrarto, said that his party had handled 13 cases of illegal lending and named 57 suspects throughout Indonesia.

"We will reveal it from the Criminal Investigation Department itself, then the Metro Police, West Java Police, West Kalimantan Police, and Central Java Police," he said on the same occasion.

Meanwhile, the development of the handling of the case, he said, is being analyzed. "Then the results of the analysis will be distributed to all regions so that we can act on the perpetrators of this illegal loan business in accordance with what has been decided by the government," said Agus.