Very few homes in Jakarta have drinking water coming out of their taps, and so we are almost all reliant on frequent deliveries of purified water gallons for our H20 needs. And, just like everything else that people rely on in Jakarta, there are people willing to exploit that need dangerously for profit.
South Jakarta Police recently arrested four men suspected of producing fake purified water gallons made to look like they came from Aqua, Indonesia’s biggest bottled water company.
“(They) passed groundwater through a sand filter tube, then packed with an Aqua cap that had been heated in a rice cooker,” said Cilandak Police Chief Sujanto on Wednesday as quoted by Tempo.
The arrests were made on Monday, and police identified the four men by their initials S, DP, TT, and PG.
Sujanto said one of the suspects had previously worked at a drinking water refill center, while S had admitted to spending Rp 7.5 million for the initial capital for the Aqua-brand water fraud.
According to the Cilandak police chief, the group sold their fake Aqua for Rp 13,000 and could net a profit of Rp 9,000 per gallon. Their water was sold through distributors located in Bintaro, Pondok Cabe and Lebak Bulus.
The four have been charged with violating the 1999 Consumer Protection law, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in jail or a fine of Rp 2 billion.
