inp.polri.go.id - Palembang. Police officers from the Palembang Sub-regional Police, arrested three perpetrators who carried out extortion through a dating application.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Palembang Sub-regional Police, Senior Superintendent Andrie Setiawan said the case began when the victim DR (44), got to know the perpetrator with the initials DF (20) through a dating application.

Then, DF asked the victim to lend her money and invited him to meet at a boarding room in the Ario Kemuning area, Palembang, on May 4, 2025, at around 21.39 pm.

When they met, the victim was asked to take off his clothes on the pretext of collateral for the money borrowed. However, two other perpetrators, WA (29) and AR (20) who were DF's partners in crime, entered the room and threatened the victim with sharp weapons. They then strangled him, and hit the victim's face.

One of the perpetrators also accused the victim of committing indecent acts with a minor.

In this situation, the victim was forced to transfer IDR 30 million to DF's account.

Then, the perpetrators also stole IDR 2.5 million in cash and the victim's cell phone.

Angered by the incident, the victim reported the incident to the Palembang Sub-regional Police.

After receiving the report, police conducted an investigation and the three perpetrators were successfully arrested at their respective homes without resistance on May 7, 2025.

"We secured the three of them along with a number of pieces of evidence, including IDR 4 million in cash, five cell phones, and one sharp weapon used to threaten the victim," he explained in Palembang, Monday (5/26/2025).

For their actions, the three perpetrators were charged under Article 368 of the Criminal Code concerning Extortion, with a maximum sentence of 9 years in prison.

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