T

he Cilandak Police in South Jakarta have arrested four men accused of mixing mineral water with groundwater and selling under the brand Aqua, a popular bottled water, in gallons in Pamulang, South Tangerang.

The men reportedly sold 300 gallons of the water mix per day, using the prominent Aqua brand name, said Cilandak Police chief Comr. Sujanto on Wednesday. They ran the business for a year.

“The case was revealed after a buyer, Jono, reported the matter to the police,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Previously, Jono consumed water from a large bottle in his warehouse-house on Jl. H. Gandun, Lebak Bulus, Cilandak, and found the water was turbid and tasted strange, Sujanto explained.

The product was allegedly supplied by suspect S., 28, who had a home industry, he added.

Following up on the report, the police held a surveillance operation on Aug. 21 and arrested S and other suspects identified as DP, 20, TT, 20, and PWT, 55.

The police also seized a large container, a water pump, a pickup truck, 40 Aqua gallon bottles, two card boxes of Aqua bottle caps and four sacks of used Aqua bottle caps.

The police said the mixed water was distributed to three stores in Pondok Labu and four shops in Cilandak, including Jono’s.

The suspects will be charged under Law No. 8/ 1999 on consumer protection, which carries a maximum of five years in prison or a Rp 5 billion (US$374,420) fine.