A 43-year-old man the police are identifying as AS have been going around mosques in the city pretending to convert to Islam so he can receive donation money.
He was exposed when he attempted his last scam at the Jami’ Yarsi Mosque in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.
On Tuesday afternoon, AS was well received by a congregation at the mosque as he performed the rites to embrace Islam. Not long later, the mosque reported AS to the police after receiving information on his background from a community of Muslim converts.
It turned out that AS had previously pretended to convert to Islam at 4 different mosques in Jakarta. Congregations at those mosques were happy to donate money to AS so he could start a new life.
“The suspect never asked [for the financial donations]. The congregations at the mosques voluntarily donated money to him,” said Bambang Santoso, head of Criminal Investigations at the Cempaka Putih Police, as quoted by Detik today.
AS was about to be given Rp 700,000 in donations from the Jami’ Yarsi Mosque before he was found out. His actual religion wasn’t revealed.
Now, AS could face some jail time for fraud.
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