Indonesia Police Officers Kidnapped British Man For $900,000 Ransom, Arrested

Four Indonesian police officers and two civilians were arrested for kidnapping a British man in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. The kidnappers were attempting to collect a ransom of about $900,000. This is about 12.6 billion Indonesian rupiahs, an inflated currency that is still feeling the effects of a 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Investigators allege that the police officers staged the arrest of the British man at a roadblock. He was first taken to a police station and instead of being released, he was taken to a hotel where after an all-day interrogation the ransom demand was made. The unnamed man was released after the ransom was paid.

The arrests happened when the kidnappers foolishly tried to convert the ransom, paid in US dollars to the highly inflated local currency that must have drawn some attention in the local area.

One of the kidnappers was a colleague of the British victim, said Jakarta Police spokesperson Argo Yuwono. The spokesperson told CNN Philippines that the kidnap attempt had involved "unscrupulous" members of the police force. The unnamed man’s wife, according to media in the UK, had reported him missing on Oct. 31.

The Jakarta Post has unearthed some information about the identity of the kidnappers. The two civilians are an Indonesian businessman named Giovani and his girlfriend, named Nola Aprilia. Giovani allegedly asked Nola to plan the kidnapping.

The accused officers were identified as Second Brigadier Julia Bita Bangapadang from the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) and three others from the East Jakarta Police, namely Second Brigadier Nugroho Putro Utomo, First Brigadier Herodotus and Second Brigadier Sandika Bayu.

The all-day interrogation occurred at the C'one Hotel in Pulomas, East Jakarta, where the kidnappers called the victim’s wife to demand a ransom of $1 million. They were offered $400,000 by a man named Pitt who was the victim’s boss, but the final agreement was for the $900,000 that was paid. It happened on the same day the kidnapped man’s wife alerted officials.

The four officers are currently being detained in the Jakarta Police headquarter in South Jakarta for further investigation. A spokesperson, Argo Yuwono, said they would be charged under articles 328, 333 and 368 of the Criminal Code on kidnapping, forcible confinement and blackmail.

The British Embassy confirmed they were aware of the incident but were satisfied to let the matter be handled by the local police in Jakarta.