Actually, we have arrested eight people. However, one of them is underage.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have arrested seven persons on charges of falsifying certificates of COVID-19 tests, which are mandatory for undertaking travel.
“Actually, we have arrested eight people. However, one of them is underage," director of general crime investigation at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Senior Commissioner Tubagus Ade Hidayat, said here on Monday.
The suspects have been identified by their initials as RSH (20), RHM (22), IS (23), MA (25), SP (38), MA (20), and Y (23). Another suspect, identified by his initials as DM, has not been detained as he is underage, Hidayat informed.
The case involving forgery of COVID-19 test certificates, either those related to swab tests or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, is the third of its kind disclosed by the Jakarta police.
"There have been three cases of COVID-19 test certificate forgery disclosed so far," Hidayat remarked.
He said the government has issued rules to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. But if the rules are violated, the handling of pandemic will not run optimally, he added.
"The rules have been right. The procedures have been right. But if they are violated, the handling (of the COVID-19 pandemic) will not reach its optimum result," he observed.
Earlier, on January 7, 2021, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police had arrested three persons suspected of falsifying PCR swab test certificates online.
The forgery came to light after one of the suspects, identified by his initials as MFA, uploaded the service, which later went viral.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport police have also arrested 15 persons believed to be members of a COVID-19 test certificate forgery syndicate. (INE)
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