NTB Governor's Office Staff ASN Involved In COVID Aid Fraud, Offers 40 Tons Of Rice To Victims

Head of the Satreskrim Polresta Mataram Kompol Kadek Adi Budi Pratama (right) accompanied by his members interrogates a suspected fraud (Photo Via Antara)

MATARAM - The Criminal Investigation Unit Team of the Mataram City Police, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) arrested a state civil servant (ASN) with the initials MHR (47) for allegedly defrauding his victims with the COVID-19 aid project mode.

Head of the Satreskrim Polresta Mataram Kompol Kadek Adi Budi Astawa said the arrest of the ASN who served as staff at the NTB Governor's Office began with a victim's report.

"In the victim's report, MHR carried out a fraudulent mode by offering to buy 40 tons of rice from the COVID-19 relief project," said Kadek Adi in Mataram, Antara, Monday, March 7.

Victims who were tempted by the offer, he said, gave relief to the perpetrators to pay half of the price of 40 tons of rice worth Rp. 200 million.

"So the purchase price of 40 tons of rice is IDR 421 million. The victim gives the perpetrator the opportunity to pay IDR 200 million as a down payment, and the rest can be paid after the project money is disbursed," he said.

However, for a long time there was no attempt to pay the remaining balance, he continued, the victim checked the veracity of the project at the NTB Governor's Office. "After checking directly, the victim received news that the project did not exist," he said.

Feeling cheated, the victim who did not receive the remaining payment then reported the MHR to the Mataram Police.

"This report became the basis for us to arrest MHR at his home in the Dasan Agung area," said Kadek.

From the series of handlings, MHR is now designated as a suspect. It was revealed that MHR used this mode in the period October-November 2020.

Offers to victims without a decision letter from the government related to the COVID-19 assistance project, he said.

"So the perpetrator believed the victim to be just talking, there was no basis for a letter or anything else. But the agreement between the two, there was evidence of a receipt, that became evidence for determining MHR as a suspect," he said.

As a suspect, MHR is suspected of being subject to a criminal offense under Article 378 of the Criminal Code on Fraud with a penalty of four years in prison.