Not Yet Given Up, Fake Police Who Robbed Cellphones In Sidoarjo Arrested

SIDOARJO - Sidoarjo City Resort Police (Polresta) officers, East Java Regional Police arrested a fake policeman with the initials MW, a resident of Gempol, Pasuruan who claimed to be a member of the Sidoarjo Police Narcotics Unit.

The Sidoarjo Police Chief, Kombes Kusumo Wahyu Bintoro, said the perpetrators had been desperate to blackmail several times by claiming to be a member of the police when carrying out their actions.

"Residivist with a case like this doesn't seem to have given up. In early February 2022, the perpetrator returned to action looking for another victim, by blackmailing a resident of Jabon, Sidoarjo. The victim asked the victim for a cell phone because it was suspected that there was a drug transaction carried out by the victim," he said in Jakarta. Sidoarjo was reported by Antara, March 18.

He said that because he was afraid of being questioned by the police, the victim handed over his cell phone to the perpetrator.

"Then the victim reported it to the Jabon Sector Police," he said. The police arrested the perpetrator on March 16, 2022 in the Rembang area, Pasuruan, and then brought him to the Sidoarjo Police Headquarters. The perpetrators face a sentence of nine years in prison according to Article 368 of the Criminal Code.

The suspect MW, he said, was a recidivist in a similar case, because previously he had also blackmailed the victim by admitting to being a police officer.

"We urge the public to be more vigilant and careful if there is extortion or fraud by people or individuals claiming to be police officers. Ask for official identities, letters of assignment or don't be afraid to report them to the nearest police station, so that we can immediately uncover cases like this," he said too.