Indonesian COVID-19 Negative Certificate Forgery Ring Caught... "Up to 6 Years Imprisonment"

Issuing Fake Certificates for 50,000 to 70,000 Won
Primarily Purchased for Returning to Hometown Purposes

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In Indonesia, a group involved in forging and distributing fake COVID-19 negative test certificates used for transportation to domestic island regions ahead of the year-end and New Year holidays has been caught. It was revealed that these fake certificates were mainly sold to travelers using passenger planes, trains, or boats to return to their hometowns.

According to local media such as Antara News on the 26th, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police announced at a press conference the previous day that they had arrested eight suspects involved in forging and distributing COVID-19 negative test certificates. The suspects, five men and three women in their 20s and 30s, are accused of forging COVID-19 antigen rapid test negative result certificates and selling them through social networking services (SNS) such as Facebook for prices ranging from 700,000 rupiah (about 55,000 won) to 900,000 rupiah.

Earlier, the Indonesian health authorities mandated that passengers traveling to Java Island within the country by plane or train submit antigen rapid test negative results after mid-December last year, ahead of the year-end and New Year holidays. Travelers heading to Bali were required to present negative results from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to board. These tests can be taken at locations such as Soekarno-Hatta Airport on the outskirts of Jakarta, with costs known to be around 200,000 rupiah. However, as COVID-19 infected individuals began purchasing fake negative test certificates to return to their hometowns, forgery crimes increased.

Previously, 15 suspects involved in distributing fake PCR negative test certificates were also arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. The Indonesian police stated, "We are tracking hundreds of people who used fake negative test certificates," and warned, "Those found guilty of forging official documents will face imprisonment of up to six years."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.