There is Extortion Behind the Beauty of the Al Jabbar Mosque in Bandung, the Perpetrator Makes Millions of Rupiah

Four residents involved in illegally charging parking fees at the Al Jabbar Mosque in Bandung were arrested.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

The landscape of Al Jabbar Grand Mosque in Gedebage, Bandung City, West Java on Friday (8/4/2023). The mosque, which was inaugurated at the end of 2022, accommodates 33,000 congregants and stands on an area of 26 hectares.

BANDUNG, KOMPAS — Four perpetrators suspected of committing illegal levies from motor vehicle parking services at the Al Jabbar Grand Mosque in Bandung, West Java, made a fortune money up to millions of rupiah. The perpetrators have been arrested by the West Java Extortion Saber team since Monday (15/4/2024).

Head of Public Relations of the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Jules Abast, when confirmed on Wednesday (17/4/2024) confirmed this information. The initials of the four parking attendants Al Jabbar Mosque who were arrested by the West Java Extortion Saber Team are OK, RA, RM, and YS.

He explained that the Saber Pungli team in West Java has seized cash amounting to Rp 1,489,000 from the hands of the perpetrators. They obtained the money at three parking areas around the Al Jabbar Mosque.

The action of extorting parking services at the Al Jabbar Mosque, which is famous for its architectural beauty, was revealed in a post by one of the visitors on a social media account on April 13 2024. In this post, the visitor had to pay parking fees up to IDR 20,000 at the Al Jabbar Mosque.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Several residents performed the Isya prayer before the first Tarawih prayer of 1445 Hijriah at Al Jabbar Grand Mosque in Bandung, West Java, on Monday (11/3/2024).

The post uploaded by the @petanirumah account has gone viral among netizens. The post has been viewed up to 11 million times and has received 2,600 comments from netizens.

"The four officers who were detained consisted of two officers at the entrance and exit of the mosque, while the other two officers were in the parking area of Masjid Al-Jabbar," said Jules.

Also read: Police Name Suspect of Mosque Rehabilitation Extortion

He stated that the mode of operation of the perpetrators is to repeatedly demand parking fees in the parking area and exit gates of the mosque. The parking tickets also do not comply with the regulations, which require the use of paper with different serial numbers.

"The value of parking fees does not comply with Mayor of Bandung Regulation No. 121 of 2022 on parking management outside the roadway. Recording of entry and exit times is also done manually without the use of a single-door parking printer," said Jules.

MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

The Secretary of West Java, Herman Suryatman (left), who is also the Chairman of the Executive Council of Al Jabbar Grand Mosque, welcomed congratulations from guests at his inauguration at Gedung Sate, Bandung City, West Java, on Monday (1/4/2024).

The Executive Council Chairman of Al Jabbar Mosque, Herman Suryatman, apologized to the public for the illegal collection of parking fees. He also stated that the issue has been followed up.

"The incident was carried out by irresponsible parties without the management's permission. Visitors and worshipers are advised to be cautious and not to serve individuals who carry out extortion in the area of Masjid Al Jabbar," said Herman, who also serves as the Secretary of West Java Province.

Also read: Extortion Damages the Service System

The modus operandi of perpetrators who repeatedly demand parking fees in the parking area and exit gate of mosques. The parking ticket also does not comply with the regulations, namely using paper with the same serial number.

Acting Governor of West Java, Bey Machmudin, stressed that cases of bribery in Masjid Al Jabbar or other public places in West Java must not happen again. According to him, the bribery case in Masjid Al Jabbar that went viral on social media has become a momentum for his administration to provide public services free of bribery in Jabar.

"There is no place for corruption in West Java. Saber Pungli also needs to be optimized to prevent cases of corruption like Al Jabbar from happening elsewhere," he said.