A reseller has been arrested in Labuan Bajo after taking IDR 244.2 million (around USD 15,000) for a three-day Komodo cruise with overnight stays on board. A group of 22 Chinese tourists arrived in Flores ready to begin the trip, only to discover there was no cruise: the boat owner had never received any payment.
The tourists themselves did not pay the reseller directly. The tour was sold by Bali-based LeBali International Tour, a licensed travel agency owned by a 56-year-old Canadian national, who is listed as the victim in the case. The agency had been searching for a boat for the group since mid-July and contacted the 33-year-old intermediary through an open WhatsApp group used by Labuan Bajo operators to exchange bookings.
He offered the traditional wooden phinisi KM Seven Angel, assuring the agency that it was available for the required dates, August 8–10, for a three-day, two-night cruise through Komodo National Park. Between July 30 and August 4, the agency transferred the full amount in three payments. The reseller later admitted that he had spent all IDR 244.2 million on personal expenses.
The suspect has been charged under Article 492 of Indonesia’s new Criminal Code for fraud and deception, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison or a fine.
He is being held at the district police detention centre and has admitted his guilt. Police seized bank transfer receipts, correspondence and falsified invoices that included 11% VAT. Officers said there would be no room for those who profit from tourists while damaging Labuan Bajo’s reputation.
This is not the first case of its kind in Labuan Bajo. In April, three German tourists waited at the marina for five hours for a boat that never arrived. In May, police arrested the owner of a travel company accused of misappropriating IDR 85.2 million from a group of Malaysian and Singaporean tourists.
In another case, four tourists travelling from Bali nearly found themselves without a boat after their travel agency failed to complete the payment.
You can add one right now!