Indonesian police have arrested three men who granted hundreds of quick -- but entirely fake -- divorces to unhappily married couples, a report said Saturday.
The Indonesian Observer said the trio, all in their early 50s, were arrested Friday in the city of Kendal for printing, signing and selling the documents, which carried the forged signature of the Kendal regent, the city's governor.
However an irate husband blew the whistle after hiring a lawyer to check the authenticity of the divorce certificate his estranged wife had presented him with, the Observer said.
Mohammed Suri, one of the three, told police the business thrived because the process was faster and cheaper than the legal route -- which involves lengthy sessions with a religious court and legal and other fees of between 10 million and 100 million rupiah (1,080 and 10,800 dollars).
"Most of the time they were very happy ... as they could bypass all of the bureaucratic hindrances and a series of compulsory court sessions, plus the obligation each to hire a lawyer," Suri said.
"We simply wanted to help them solve their problems" -- JAKARTA (AFP)
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