PONTIANAK - The South Pontianak Police have moved quickly to follow up on community reports by securing five suspected perpetrators of the misuse of subsidized fuel oil (BBM) in Pontianak City, West Kalimantan.
South Pontianak Police Chief AKP Inayatun Nurhasanah said the incident occurred on Sunday at around 04.00 WIB on Jalan Imam Bonjol Gang Haji Ali, Bansir Laut Village, Pontianak Tenggara District.
"The five suspected perpetrators were arrested while moving Pertalite fuel from a motorcycle to a number of jugs that had been prepared," he explained in Pontianak, Antara, Sunday, March 13.
The case was revealed after the police received a report from the public regarding suspicious activities in the form of transferring fuel from vehicles to jerry cans at the location.
Following up on the report, the Panit Opsnal Unit of the Criminal Investigation Unit of Ipda Antonius Aris Hermawan together with personnel immediately headed to the crime scene. Upon arrival at the location, officers found five men copying fuel from a motorcycle into a jerrican.
The police then secured the suspected perpetrators along with a number of evidence at the scene.
The evidence seized included one unit of a Suzuki Thunder motorcycle with a modified tank with a capacity of 20 liters, one unit of a Suzuki Thunder with a standard tank with a capacity of 14 liters, and one unit of a Yamaha Mio M3 used to transport jerrycans.
In addition, the police also secured 11 jerrycans with a capacity of 35 liters, three jerrycans with a capacity of 30 liters with one jerrycan filled with Pertalite, one jerrycan with a capacity of 10 liters, and four 15-liter gallons, two of which were filled with Pertalite.
The five suspected perpetrators and the evidence were then taken to the South Pontianak Police to undergo further examination.
From the results of the initial interrogation, the suspected perpetrators were known to have bought Pertalite at the local public fuel filling station (SPBU) before transferring it to jerry cans at a different location.
"Currently, the five people are still in the process of being investigated by the South Pontianak Police Criminal Investigation Unit," said Inayatun.
If found guilty, the perpetrators can be charged with Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Natural Gas.
They can be charged under Article 55 regarding the misuse of subsidized fuel transportation or trade using modified or additional tanks with a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
According to the police, this practice not only harms the state, but also has the potential to cause a shortage of fuel and increase the risk of danger such as explosions in the SPBU area.
The police also appealed to the public to continue to report suspicious activities related to the misuse of subsidized fuel so that they can be immediately followed up.
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