The Jakarta Police have uncovered a syndicate allegedly producing and selling fake meterai (stamps) that has caused Rp 30 billion (US$2.1 million) in state losses.

The case was uncovered following a report from the Finance Ministry’s Directorate General of Taxation regarding suspicion of fake meterai sold online.

Pontas Pane, head of investigation and intelligence at the tax office, said that before sending the report to the police, the office had investigated the syndicate first by conducting some transactions with them.

Following the initial investigation, according to Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Wahyu Hadiningrat, the police, the Directorate General of Taxation and state-owned securities paper and banknote printing company Peruri have kept their eyes on the activities of the syndicate since October 2018, leading them to nine people.

Wahyu said the police had detained nine suspects nabbed in different places in February, including one who allegedly controlled the business, identified as ASR. The police arrested ASR in Bekasi.

“ASR is a repeat offender for this crime. He was arrested last year for the same crime,” he said on Wednesday.

One suspect is still at large.

Wahyu explained that ASR had regularly received orders from blogs and online stores for three years. ASR was the one who ordered the other suspects to shop for the materials and sold the Rp 6,000 fake meterai at a price of Rp 2,200 each.

According to Law No. 13/1985 on stamp duty, many official documents in Indonesia must be affixed with a meterai in order to be considered legal, such as bank transactions, financial contracts, letters of agreement and licenses, hence distribution of the counterfeit stamps is suspected to be nationwide.

“They sold the products on social media. We found them there,” Wahyu said.

There are currently two different stamp values at Rp 3,000 and Rp 6,000.

According to Wahyu, the syndicate allegedly bought materials for the bootleg stamps on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta. After that, they would produce the stamps by printing them in several stages. One of the printing processes was also carried out on Jl. Pramuka.

“Some suspects were in charge of making a hologram and pressing the stamps. So each of them has their respective role,” he said.

Evidence found in the arrest of the nine suspects included more than 3 million fake Rp 6,000 stamps and some tools used to fabricate the stamps such as stamp machines, chopping machines, aluminum plates, screen printing tools, glue and ink.

After that ASR would draw a decorative rosette design to make it similar to the original.

“They carried out a very detailed process, it is not surprising that the fake ones are almost the same as the original,” Wahyu said.

The nine suspects were charged under Article 13 Law No. 13/1985 and articles 253 and 257 of the Criminal Code concerning forgery with a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

Peruri’s operations director Saiful Bahri said the fake stamps were printed using ordinary printing machines, while the original stamps were printed using an intaglio machine that only Peruri could have. This machine was also used to print banknotes.

“If we move the original seal around, its flower design changes color. The surface of the original stamps also feels more rough, unlike the fake ones,” Saiful said.

He added that the hologram on an original stamp would clearly show its security features, which could only be seen using Peruri’s laboratory equipment.

Pontas called on members of the public who found information or indications of fake stamps to immediately report it through the tax office’s hotline at 1500 200 or report it to the nearest police station.

“And if there were documents that used fake stamps, the agreement or content would not be aborted. It will only be necessary to change the stamp with the original one at a post office,” Pontas said. (ggq)

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