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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Indonesian man arrested for posing as police officer to defraud girlfriend

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Police in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly defrauding his girlfriend by posing as a police officer.
  • The suspect, identified as SA, promised the victim a job at the Banjarbaru Police Resort, causing her a financial loss of millions of rupiah.
  • Investigations revealed the suspect had used a similar scam on other victims and spent the money on personal expenses.

Authorities in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, have apprehended a 26-year-old man for allegedly deceiving his girlfriend by impersonating a police officer. The suspect, identified by the initial SA, is accused of defrauding his partner by promising her employment within the local police department, resulting in a financial loss of millions of rupiah.

The victim felt interested when offered the job. The perpetrator assured they would help arrange the hiring process at the Banjarbaru Police.

— Kardi GunadiExplaining how the suspect lured the victim with a false job offer.

According to Ipda Kardi Gunadi, the Head of Public Relations for the Banjarbaru Police Resort, the suspect, a resident of Tanah Bumbu Regency, was arrested at his parents' home on Wednesday, July 29. The arrest followed an investigation initiated after the victim, Normarina, 33, reported the incident. The scam began on May 26, 2026, when SA offered Normarina a position at the Banjarbaru Police Resort's Integrated Police Service Center (SPKT).

To gain her trust, SA requested various documents and gradually asked for money, citing reasons such as uniform costs (Rp1.53 million), medical check-ups (Rp950,000), booster vaccinations (Rp300,000), and a supposed guarantee payment to the Banjarbaru Police Chief (Rp1.5 million). When the victim inquired about the job, SA claimed her ID card was being used for an online loan and demanded an additional Rp2.7 million to clear the supposed debt.

The victim was again asked for money amounting to Rp2.7 million to clear the loan history. The victim admitted she could not pay that amount.

— Kardi GunadiDetailing the escalating demands for money from the suspect.

After Normarina was unable to provide the additional funds and her requests for the return of her money were denied, she reported the fraud to the police. During the investigation, it was revealed that SA had been in a relationship with Normarina for about six months, which facilitated her trust. Police also discovered that SA had employed a similar fraudulent scheme against at least one other victim in Martapura, spending all the illicitly obtained funds on personal needs.

The perpetrator committed fraud by impersonating a member of the Polri twice, one in Banjarbaru and one in Martapura.

— Kardi GunadiRevealing that the suspect had targeted multiple victims with similar scams.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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