ATM-related crimes are common in Indonesia, but the story of one alleged automated teller thief has become the subject of major attention from the national media due to the suspect’s familial relationship with presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his involvement in Prabowo’s political party, Gerindra.
Today, the Jakarta Police announced that 37-year-old Ramyadjie Priambodo, who has been described as a “distant relative” of Prabowo by Gerindra officials, has been officially charged with crimes related to the skimming of BCA ATMs that carry a maximum sentence of five years.
Police say that Ramyadjie hit over 50 ATMs with the goal of stealing customer data. He also used a gender-bending disguise to conceal his identity.
“There was a veil like a hijab, he used it when he took from ATMs in South Tangerang and South Jakarta. He used it like a hijab so he was covered up like a woman, so when viewed from CCTV it looked like a woman,” Jakarta Police head spokesperson Argo Yuwono explained on Monday as quoted by Detik.
Police arrested Ramyadjie in an apartment on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman on February 26. The arrest was based on a report to the police made on February 11.
In Ramyadjie apartment, police found an ATM machine that the suspect allegedly used to study and refine skimming techniques he learned from the internet’s dark web. Police are still trying to find out how he was able to obtain the machine.
In addition to his relationship with Prabowo, Ramyadjie was also previously the the treasurer of Tunas Indonesia Raya (Tidar), the youth wing of Gerindra.
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