Police Detains Supplier Behind 'Fake' Rice Made Out of Plastic

Liputan6.com, Jakarta A market called 'Pasar Mutiara Gading Timur' situated in the city of Bekasi is normally packed with people. 

Pasar Mutiara Gading Timur offers customers commodities ranging from primary goods to secondary ones such as rice, vegetables and many other equally high-on-demand familial household needs.

The usually packed market was immediately transformed from a venue facilitating bargain process between merchants and customers, to a location where law enforcers deployed to perform investigation. 

This shocking turn of event started when a customer with the name Dewi Septini reportedly complained over the evidently 'harmful' material used by one of the merchants at the market to make the rice that she purchased for Rp 8.000 per litre.

Dewi did not know the rice was created out of material that is very much harmful to the health of its consumers.

Prior to her discovery, she headed home and decided to cook. 

Unfortunately, she went to cook only to find out that the rice that she bought was physically different in texture to any other rice brand that she ever cooked. 

In trying to cook it, the rice is soaked in a finger- tip high of water just slightly above it inside the rice cooker.

Dewi can immediately detect something wrong with the rice she bought as the rice that she cook was floating whereas real rice will remain at the bottom of the rice cooker throughout cooking process.

Dewi informed how she and her son suffered from stomach-ache after consuming the apparently made out of plastic rice.

Local police personnel from Bantargebang Bekasi Police Sector, Officer Gatot Suyanto revealed the unfortunate fact of many people coming into the site buying the rice that supposedly made out of plastic.

"It worries me knowing that the place is generally crowded and so the victims must be more than just one family because I believe Dewi and her family is not the only one who buys rice from that particular store," Officer Gatot explained.

With such growing fear, Bantargebang Bekasi Police Sector immediately dispatched its personnel to come into the site and perform investigation procedure as to find out whether or not such customer claim is justifiable and if so, whether there is only one store or more that sells made out of plastic rice.

"We immediately head for the location and secure a sack of rice from the store where Dewi bought hers," Officer Gatot informed Liputan6.com, Tuesday (19/5/2015).

Officer Gatot said that his team also went to detain the merchant and 5 of his workers.

"The rice merchant and 5 of his workers are currently being interrogated at the Bantargebang police sector," Officer Gatot further informed.

Following such shocking discovery, local police immediately encourage citizens to raise their awareness of the rampant widespread of ‘fake’ rice at the market.

"It is possible that there are more than just one store that sells rice made out of plastic. There are other stores at the market that sell rice and we are also investigating the suppliers of those other stores," he continued.

He mentioned how his team has coordinated with the people from coming close to such harmful product. (Akp/Ein)