The gas case was uncovered by the Denpasar police. A gang of criminals was involved in transferring subsidized gas from 3 kg cylinders into 12 kg and 50 kg containers and then selling it.
Pertamina expressed its gratitude to the police for successfully exposing this syndicate, which was operating in Gianyar (Ubud area) and Denpasar. As part of the investigation, officers arrested four suspects involved in the criminal network. Twelve witnesses were questioned.
During the arrests and investigation, the police seized thousands of 3 kg gas cylinders and hundreds of 12 kg and 50 kg cylinders as evidence. It was established that the illegal business had been operating in Gianyar for four months.
One of the suspects turned out to be a manager whose role was to finance the fraudulent process of manipulating subsidized gas. This included paying 8 million rupiahs per month in rent to the property owner, covering salaries for employees, purchasing subsidized 3 kg gas cylinders from retail sellers as raw material, overseeing the process of gas transfer, finding buyers for the 12 kg and 50 kg gas cylinders among shop and laundry owners, and selling the repackaged gas at 170,000 rupiahs per 12 kg cylinder and 670,000 rupiahs per 50 kg cylinder.
The criminal scheme involved buying filled 3 kg subsidized gas cylinders, transferring the gas into empty 12 kg and 50 kg cylinders, and then reselling them at market prices. The daily revenue from this operation amounted to 25 million rupiahs, generating approximately 650 million rupiahs in monthly profit.
Subsidized gas is partially paid for by the government and intended for low-income households. However, these fraudsters were essentially taking gas meant for the poor and selling it to the wealthy at market prices. The disruption of their operations might impact the availability of 3 kg gas cylinders, as shortages have periodically made them nearly impossible to find.
Sources: suarasurabaya, antara
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