H

aving a roof over one’s head that can be called home is everybody’s dream.

So it was for South Tangerang, Banten, resident Bejo, 35, who has been longing to move from the rented house his family of four has been living in for years.

In 2015, Bejo, after browsing through the internet, pinned his hopes on low-price housing offered by developer PT Cakrawala Karya Kinakas, which had opened its office in Villa Dago, Pamulang subdistrict, South Tangerang. The company claimed to be affiliated with the Public Works and Housing Ministry.

The developer offered two supposedly subsidized housing complexes, namely Bumi Berlian Asri in Curug village and Bumi Berlian Serpong in Cidokom village, both in Gunung Sindur subdistrict, Bogor regency, West Java.

It was about a year later, after spending his hard-earned savings of Rp 25 million to pay the booking fee and down payment for a house in Bumi Berlian Serpong, that Bejo, a car showroom assistant who earned only Rp 2.9 million (US$198) a month at that time, realized that his dream of home ownership had turned into a nightmare.

The firm had promised to hand over the key in June 2016, but continually postponed doing so until long after the due date. Moreover, the marketing agents were difficult to reach, Bejo said.

He learned that dozens of people had raised similar concerns about the firm, including many of his colleagues who had bought houses from the same developer. “I have to start [saving] again. It was really difficult to accept,” he told The Jakarta Post at the South Tangerang Police headquarters, adding that he had demanded a refund for the alleged fraud.

Bejo recalled nothing suspicious about the firm, as he had visited the project location several times. “Several excavators were seen on the location,” he said. “It was only a few months ago I learned that they were apparently working for another developer.”

Another South Tangerang resident Poniran, 37, described a similar experience after paying a total of Rp 26 million to the firm.

The father of one, who rents a house in Rempoa village, Bintaro subdistrict, South Tangerang, said the developer had promised to hand over the key in February last year.

As a driver who earned Rp 4.5 million a month at the time, Poniran said he had borrowed money from colleagues to meet the required down payment within a month, as requested by the firm’s marketing agents.

The due date passed by without clarity over the development progress, which led to Poniran’s suspicions being raised. He then submitted a letter to the developer in February 2017 giving the firm six months to refund his money. “Nothing [has been repaid]. By the end of 2017, the [firm’s] office was closed,” he said.

Bejo and Poniran are among hundreds of victims who have reported the alleged fraud by the firm, which sold the houses at prices ranging from Rp 130 million to Rp 160 million.

South Tangerang Police crime unit head Alexander Yurikho told the Post that the initial report was submitted by only four people.

However, after the arrest of the firm’s director Jhon Sumanti, 47, in Manado, South Sulawesi, on Dec. 8, a surge of victims have come forward, numbering at least 187 people as of Sunday.

The number is expected to rise as the police have established a complaint center for the case, which is believed to have caused Rp 4.5 billion in total losses for the hundreds of customers.

Alexander said the suspect would be charged with fraud and embezzlement. However, this does not rule out a possibility of a money-laundering charge, as the police are digging deeper into the case.

Alexander also confirmed that the firm’s claim to be a property agent affiliated with the Public Works and Housing Ministry was untrue.

The Public Works and Housing Ministry’s director general of housing provision, Khalawi, advised people to be more cautious prior to buying what was claimed to be subsidized property.

“People can check whether the firm is registered in the developer registration system at the Sireng PPDPP or contact its call center at 0-800-10-77377,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of verifying any project’s technical documents, such as the building permit (IMB) and the bestek (rules and regulations of the project) that must be approved by the regional administration and signed by the consultant. (sau)