Gayo Lues Aceh Police Hunt DPO Suspect In Selling And Buying Tiger Skin

The photo archive - Session of the case of buying and selling skin and bones of Sumatran tigers at the Blang Kejeren District Court, Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh, Wednesday (6/9/2023). (ANTARA/HO/FJL Aceh)

BANDA ACEH - Kanit 2 Tipiter Satreskrim Gayo Lues Police, Aceh Province, Aiptu Mursal said his party was still pursuing the suspect selling tiger skin at Gayo Lues with the initials AK, who is now a DPO (wanted list).

"We remain committed to continuing to pursue the person concerned so that this case can be resolved," said Mursal as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, September 8.

Previously, the Gayo Lues Police arrested KM (40) who was AK's colleague on Tuesday (12/6) because he had tiger skin complete with bones to sell worth Rp190 million to potential buyers.

Mursal said that the arrest of the AK DPO was expected to open the veil of the wildlife trafficking network in Gayo Lues and other areas.

"His network in accordance with the results of our analysis is very broad. Our commitment will still be to pursue the person concerned," he said.

Meanwhile, the Blangkejeren District Court (PN) has held a follow-up trial of the two cases of buying and selling Sumatran tiger organs (Panthera tigris sumatrae) against the defendant KM (40) on Wednesday (6/9).

Based on the information in the trial, KM admitted that his actions were influenced by AK who motivated him by being lured by a sum of money to sell the Sumatran tiger's skin and bones.

In his statement, KM revealed that AK gave him a message that if a tiger was electrocuted, KM had to contact AK because the tiger skin could be sold at a high price.

The death of the protected animal was not intentional, the Sumatran tiger died due to a 28-m long electric wire snare used to guard the garden from a pig pest attack that damaged his corn plant.

After that, AK and KM skinned the tiger and took the skin and entire bones. They planted the protected animal meat in KM's garden.

For his actions, KM was charged with Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning the conservation of biological resources and ecosystems as referred to in Article 40 Juncto 21 with a threat of five years in prison.

Meanwhile, the Legal Advocacy for the Aceh Forest and Environment Foundation (HAkA) Nurul Ikhsan appreciated the Gayo Lues Police for successfully uncovering a case of wildlife trafficking in the Gayo Lues Regency area.

He hopes that law enforcement officials will immediately arrest the AK DPO in order to open a network of wildlife trade.

"We hope this can open the network of other cases," he said.

In addition, Ikhsan hopes that policy makers can solve cases of wildlife trafficking in the Gayo Lues area as a whole and find the root point of the problem.

"We hope that there will be a comprehensive policy pattern made by policy makers to find out the root of the problem," said Ikhsan.