Makassar Biringkanaya Police Reveals Cooking Oil Hoarding

Officers move evidence of hoarding cooking oil into the Biringkanaya Police Station, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Wednesday (16/3/2022). ANTARA/Darwin Fatir

MAKASSAR - The Biringkanaya Sector Police (Polsek) team managed to uncover the hoarding of 750 cartons of cooking oil at BTN Pondok Asri 3, Sudiang Village, Biringkanaya District, Makassar, South Sulawesi.

"So last night, members reported securing a pick-up unit containing cooking oil. From there, it was developed and a house was found in which there were many cardboard boxes filled with cooking oil," said the Biringkanaya Police Chief, Commissioner Rujiyanto Poernomo, to reporters in Makassar, reported by Antara, Wednesday, March 16.

The Resmob team then developed the findings by finding out who the owner of the house was who hoarded cooking oil when the community was in trouble. Furthermore, detaining two people along with the evidence.

"For now, two people have been detained, one driver with the initials F and the owner of the goods with the initials RA. If we count the evidence, they are secured from reports from members of 750 boxes," he said.

When asked whether the alleged perpetrator was part of a cooking oil distributor, he said, from the initial investigation, he was an individual. His intention was to stockpile and then sell individually at a price outside the applicable regulations. Information was obtained, it was suspected that he planned to resell this cooking oil at a high price in the West Sulawesi region. The price of one package containing 1,800 milliliters will be marketed at IDR 34,000 per pack.

"Initial investigations stated that this individual was kept in his house, this item was the result of the initial intervention. The goods were brought to West Sulawesi and will be sold. The house is not a place for selling warehouses," he said.

Currently, the two alleged perpetrators are being detained at the local police station to undergo a further investigation, from where they obtained the hundreds of liters of cooking oil. They will be charged with Law Number 7/2014 concerning Trade with the threat of five years in prison.

From the results of the interrogation, the suspect said that he got the supply of Surya brand cooking oil from a certain distributor after ordering as a buyer and waiting for one month for delivery. Then resold according to orders from market traders and shops in Makassar to West Sulawesi.