Burned 180 hectares of land in Bengkalis, a man was named a suspect in Karhutla

PEKANBARU - The Bengkalis Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Riau, has officially named a man with the initials S (54) as a suspect in the alleged case of forest and land fires (karhutla). The fierce fire burned 180 hectares of community land in Pedekik Village.

Head of the Bengkalis Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Iptu Yohn Mabel, said that the determination of the suspect status was decided after investigators conducted a series of in-depth investigations and trials.

"The determination of the suspect was made based on the results of the case after the investigators collected evidence, witness statements, and expert opinions that strengthened the suspicion of the suspect's involvement," said Yohn Mabel in his statement in Pekanbaru, Friday, June 19.

Yohn explained that the forest fire event was initially detected on March 18, 2026. Officers in the field received information about a fire point (hotspot) at the scene through the Lancang Kuning Dashboard application.

Following up on the findings, the police team immediately moved to investigate and process the crime scene. As a result, officers found strong indications that the starting point of the fire came from an area of land managed by the suspect S.

"At the location, a number of evidence was also found in the form of palm oil seedlings in polybags and hoses that had been burned," said Yohn.

In order to strengthen the legal construction of this case, investigators not only examined a number of eyewitnesses, but also asked for information from environmental experts, fire experts, and a forensic laboratory team to ensure the exact cause and origin of the fire.

After all the evidence was deemed sufficient, the police arrested the suspect S on Thursday, June 18.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with layered articles, namely Article 108 Jo Article 56 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 39 of 2014 concerning Plantation, and/or Article 99 of Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management, and/or Article 308 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code.

"Currently, the Bengkalis Police Criminal Investigation Unit is still completing the case file to be forwarded to the public prosecutor," said Yohn.