Married Couple Hoard Cooking Oil in Banten Amid Product Scarcity

english.jpnn.com, BANTEN - The police arrested a married couple with the initials AH (44) and RS (31), who allegedly stockpiled cooking oil in a house in the Bumi Serang Damai (BSD) housing estate, Serang, Banten.

Serang Police chief Senior Adjutant Commissioner Maruli Ahiles Hutapea said that the case began on Tuesday (22/2) night with the police receiving information from local residents.

"There were allegations of business people consciously hoarding basic necessities, which are currently scarce and the price is uncertain," said Maruli in a written statement, Wednesday (23/2).

After receiving a report from residents, the police then carried out an investigation.

Authorities found 9,600 sachets and bottles of cooking oil from various brands at the scene.

Maruli said the two alleged perpetrators were ordinary traders, who did not sell cooking oil.

The police suspected that they collected the cooking oil by buying it in installments.

The couple were arrested because they had stockpiled products beyond "the permitted limit".