TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amir Mansor (29), a Malaysian citizen, became a victim of extortion by police officers during the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) 2024 music festival. He and eight of his friends were initially detained by police and taken to the Metro Jaya Regional Police office on December 13, 2024, and forced to pay Rp360 million.
He said four of his female friends were taken to the Kemayoran Police Station, Central Jakarta, on Saturday night, December 14, 2024. “My other four friends were arrested on the second night at the Kemayoran Police Station,” Amir revealed on Friday, January 3, 2025. These four women were held captive for four days and subjected to extortion demands of Rp800 million. “They were only released after four days when the ransom was finally collected,” he added.
Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Susatyo Purnomo Condro confirmed that the case involving the four Malaysian citizens was still under investigation by the National Police's Internal Affairs Division (Propam).
“The case has been under Propam's purview for three weeks, and the ethical trial process is currently underway,” Susatyo said on Sunday, January 5, 2024. He declined to provide further details, stating that the specifics would be revealed after the conclusion of the ethical trial.
The extortion of Malaysian citizens at DWP 2024 sparked widespread outrage on social media. The three-day music festival, held from December 13-15, 2024 at JIExpo, Kemayoran, Jakarta, led to Malaysian nationals filing a lawsuit against the Indonesian police, alleging extortion. Several Malaysian nationals protested the alleged extortion, claiming losses amounting to Rp32 billion.
National Police Public Information Bureau Head Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko announced that 18 police officers, including personnel from Polda Metro Jaya, Central Jakarta Metro Police, and Kemayoran Metro Police, had been arrested in connection with the extortion scheme.
Inspector General Abdul Karim, Head of the National Police's Internal Affairs Division, revealed that evidence amounting to Rp2.5 billion had been confiscated. He stated that the 18 officers violated the code of ethics by extorting 45 Malaysian citizens during random urine tests conducted at the DWP 2024 venue. These officers allegedly threatened to detain individuals, regardless of their drug test results, unless they paid a ransom.
The extortion scandal led to severe consequences for several high-ranking police officials. Director of Drug Investigation (Dirnarkoba) of the Metro Jaya Police, Senior Commissioner Donald Parlaungan Simanjuntak, was dishonorably discharged. Additionally, two other officers from the Drug Investigation Directorate of the Metro Jaya Police, Adj. Comr. Yudhy Triananta Syaeful and Adj. Sr. Come. Malvino Edward Yusticia, were dishonorably dismissed.
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