NTB Police Arrest Agents And Recruiters Of Illegal Migrant Workers For Turkey

PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

MATARAM - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Police team arrested two housewives suspected of acting as agents and recruiters of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) destined for Turkey.

The Head of Public Relations of the NTB Police, Kombes Artanto, said the two perpetrators of the alleged criminal act of trafficking in persons (TPPO) had the initials SH and DH.

"Both of them are agents and recruiters who sent the victim (PMI) with the initials LS from East Lombok", said Artanto accompanied by the Director of General Criminal Investigation (Dirreskrimum) of the NTB Police, Kombes Hari Brata, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, January 11.

The role of the two perpetrators, he continued, was revealed from reports of victims who were repatriated by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on September 11, 2021.

The victim in his report received bad treatment while working as a domestic helper in Turkey. Even the promised salary was never disbursed.

This made the victim run away from work and ask the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey for help.

"So the two were arrested Monday (10/1) based on the follow-up to the victim's report. They were arrested at his residence in the East Lombok area", he said.

From the results of the investigation, it was revealed that SH and DH's modus operandi was to recruit and send victims to one of the countries in the Middle East region.

"Recruitment on June 2, 2021, the victim was promised to work as a caregiver for the elderly with a salary of IDR 21 million per three months. The contract is two years", said Artanto.

In fact, he said, to attract the attention of victims to want to work as PMI through their channels, the two perpetrators gave a "fit" of IDR 3 million.

Those who are involved in the PMI business world know the term "fit" money as pocket money, accommodation, and transportation received by PMI candidates before leaving for the destination country.

For the victim's personal documents, the two perpetrators compiled data manipulation. The age of the victim, who was 19 years old at the time of departure, was changed to 23 years old by the conditions for working abroad.

"So most of them act with persuasion and lure big salaries", said Director-General of the NTB Police Kombes Hari Brata.

Likewise with the recruitment carried out by the two actors. Hari emphasized that his activities took place without going through official procedures from the government. This mode is revealed to have been carried out in the last three years.

"Without a permit and procedural, this is clearly illegal. If the procedure is correct, it must go through the labor agency and must be (recruiters) under the business entity and that can be dispatched", he said.

Now the two perpetrators have been named as suspects who are suspected of Article 10 and or Article 11 Jo Article 4 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 21/2007 concerning the Eradication of TIP and Article 81 and or 83 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 18/2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers.

"From the determination of the two as suspects, we proceed to the detention process", he said.