Three Illegal Gold Miners Armed With Fire In Central Kalimantan Arrested

Perpetrators of illegal gold mining in Central Kalimantan (ANTARA)

PALANGKA RAYA - Police arrested three illegal or unlicensed gold miners who were carrying out their activities in Kapuas District. There are gold miners who have firearms.

"The three perpetrators each have the initials RT (40), EB (39), and SA (45). The disclosure of the case was carried out on January 27, 2021," said Head of Sub-Directorate for Tipiter AKBP Mochammad Sajarod Zakun quoted by Antara, Wednesday, February 17.

The mine site, which was worked on by the three people, is in Balai Banjang Village, Pasak Talawang District, Kapuas Regency.

Sajarod explained that in their role as the manager of the mine site, they always carry homemade firearms when they work.

Meanwhile, two other actors acted as illegal gold miners by using two excavator units. They admit that they haven't worked on the two-hectare mine for a month.

"According to RT, he bought the two-hectare land from someone for Rp. 200 million. The three of them worked on this area starting January 24, 2021, employing around 20 people," he said.

From the disclosure of the gold mining case without a permit, investigators also seized two excavator units, a pump machine, a kato machine, a pipe, a hose, a filter or ashtray and 20 million in cash.

In addition, the police also confiscated a homemade revolver firearm along with the shell casings which belonged to the perpetrator with the initials RT.

"The firearms ownership case will be submitted to the General Criminal Investigation Directorate, while the mining case we will continue the legal process and the development of the matter in order to find out who the financiers of the perpetrators are," he said.

The suspect was charged under Article 158 in conjunction with Article 35 of Law Number 3 of 2020 concerning Amendments to Law Number 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining.