Bringing Illegal Migrant Workers To Malaysia, Ship Owner With Initial A Detained By Riau Islands Police

The Head of Public Relations of the Riau Islands Police, Harry Goldenhardt, gave a statement to the media crew (ANTARA)

KEPRI - Riau Islands Police (Kepri) detained a ship owner carrying illegal Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) and sank in the waters of Johor Malaysia on December 15, 2021.

"The General Crime Director (Dirkrimum) as the Sub Task Force (Subsatgas) for Law Enforcement Operations for Humanitarian Missions has arrested a person suspected of being the owner of a ship that sank some time ago in the waters of Johor Malaysia," said Head of Public Relations of the Riau Islands Police Commissioner Harry Goldenhardt S in Batam, Antara, Monday, January 3.

The arrest of the suspect who owns the ship with the initials A alias S, he said, was based on the previous suspect's statements and the evidence found. A was secured in Lobam Tanjunguban, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands on Sunday, January 2.

Apart from being the owner of a ship that transports illegal PMI to Malaysia, A is also the person who owns the shelter and departure of illegal PMI in Bintan.

The investigative team secures the evidence of the checking account and conducts an initial examination of the person concerned and the witness.

On that occasion, he conveyed that the Ditkrimum of the Riau Islands Police continued to seek to uncover cases, starting from the recruitment process for illegal PMIs in other areas in Indonesia to their departure to Malaysia in collaboration with other Polda officers, under the Operations Task Force for Humanitarian Missions.

Suspect A alias S, he said, was charged with multiple articles and laws related to trafficking in persons, protection of PMI and money laundering. He stated that the police officers deliberately ensnared the money laundering article to determine the flow of incoming funds.

"The assets owned by the suspect as a result of the crime will be subject to money laundering," he said. The Riau Islands Police are still investigating the case to completion.