Action Desperate In The Middle Of Historical Icon: Police Secure 2 Thieves Of Cultural Heritage At The Siak Palace

A number of cultural heritage objects were stolen by two people at the Siak Palace, Riau Province. ANTARA/HO-Siaak Police

Siak Police, Riau, arrested two suspected perpetrators of the theft of cultural heritage objects in the Siak Sri Indrapura Palace Area after their actions were caught by palace guards.

Head of the Siak Police Criminal Investigation Unit, AKP Tidar Laksono, said the theft took place on Wednesday, September 17 at the Complaints Palace, which is next to the main complex of Siak Palace.

"We have secured the perpetrators and evidence. Currently, they are still being investigated by the Siak Police Satreskrim investigators," said AKP Tidar in Siak, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, September 24.

According to Tidar, the incident began when palace visitors saw suspicious movements of two people carrying red bags from inside the Complaints Palace. Visitors then reported this to the palace guards.

Two witnesses, Herman Sawiran and Bambang Sudiro, together with the post guard immediately checked the red bag carried by the perpetrator. As a result, a number of objects were found that were suspected to be cultural heritage items from inside the palace.

The two perpetrators with the initials S (43) and A (39) were then secured at the exit post of the Siak Palace and handed over to the police.

The Siak Sector Police, who received the report, immediately went to the location, secured the perpetrators along with evidence, and took the two to the Siak Police Station for further legal proceedings.

For their actions, the two perpetrators were suspected of violating Article 106 in conjunction with Article 66 of Law Number 11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Conservation in conjunction with Article 363 Paragraph (1) of the 4th Criminal Code concerning theft with weight.

The police stated that they would continue to investigate this case, including examining additional witnesses and holding cases.

"This case of the theft of cultural heritage objects is a serious concern considering that the Siak Palace is an icon of history and cultural heritage that has important value for the people of Riau," said AKP Tidar.