NTB Police Opens Possibility of New Suspects in the Sekotong Gold Mine Case

Dirreskrimsus Polda NTB Kombes Pol. Fx. Endriadi. ANTARA/Dhimas B.P.

West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Police opened the possibility of a new suspect in the illegal gold mine case in the Sekotong hills area, West Lombok Regency, NTB.

Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the NTB Police, Kombes Pol. Fx. Endriadi said that the suspect could only be determined if the evidence was strong. Currently, his party is conducting a search for the role of other people referring to the evidence revealed at the investigation stage.

"If there are facts, I will ensure that legal proceedings will be carried out," he said in Mataram, Wednesday, quoted by Antara.

However, he explained that the investigation with the development of the case file belonging to the two suspects had been handed over to the investigating prosecutor, no other person's involvement had been revealed.

Therefore, he said, investigators are now paying attention to the results of the research file from the investigating prosecutor. If it is considered that there are still deficiencies in the material, he ensures that it will be followed up immediately.

Two suspects in the case are initials LHF, a foreign citizen (WNA) and ER. They are suspected of working together in illegal gold mining activities in the Sekotong hills area.

The suspect LHF played a role as the person who ordered the mining without having a permit, and ER as the executor of the mining in Sekotong.

For the determination of the suspects, said Endriadi, the investigation, which is under the control of the West Lombok Police Criminal Investigation Unit, has not taken any steps to detain the two.

For the suspect ER who is a local resident, he was not detained for reasons of cooperative attitude during the investigation and investigation. For LHF, he has not been detained because he is still in the field in cooperation with Interpol.

Although he has been a suspect and is still being searched, the police have not issued a status of the search list (DPO) for the foreigner.

"Later (the DPO's approval) if the file is P-21 (declared complete) and it has not been caught," he said.

In the course of the investigation, the NTB Police assisted the West Lombok Police in handling. In fact, the handling of this case also received direct attention from the Directorate of Special Crimes of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police.

From this investigative step, the police have seized a number of evidence that supports the existence of suspected illegal mining, ranging from transport trucks to chemical liquids of cyanide and mercury from China.

During the investigation, the police also installed a police line and carried out field supervision so that there would be no more illegal mining activities.