Jakarta. Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Karyoto has initiated a significant reshuffle, rotating 34 officers in response to a high-profile extortion scandal targeting foreign attendees at the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) concert.

The rotations were announced in a circular issued on Thursday, affecting low- and middle-ranking officers, primarily from the anti-narcotics unit. The circular did not explicitly reference the ongoing internal investigation into the DWP scandal.

The National Police’s Professional and Security Division has detained 18 officers accused of extorting Malaysian attendees at the electronic music festival. During the internal investigation, authorities confiscated Rp 2.5 billion ($154,322) in cash.

Division head Inspector General Abdul Karim said that the officers will face an ethics tribunal next week, following complaints from at least 45 Malaysian citizens.

The accused officers allegedly coerced concertgoers into undergoing drug tests and subsequently threatened them with criminal charges to extort money, even when test results were negative. While the identities of the accused officers were not disclosed, Abdul confirmed they were drawn from various district and provincial police units.

The extortion case has sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from Indonesia’s business and entertainment communities, heightening concerns about its potential impact on the country’s reputation as a tourism destination.

According to the circular, all 34 officers have been reassigned to administrative duties pending the internal investigation.

Among them are three anti-narcotics officers with the adjunct chief commissioner rank: Bariu Bawana, Wahyu Hidayat, and Malvino Edward Yusticia. Commissioner Dimas Aditya, head of the Tanjung Priok District Police in North Jakarta, is also included in the rotation.

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