West Bangka Police Name 3 Illegal Mining Suspects In Parittiga

Head of the West Bangka Police Satreskrim AKP Ecky Widi Prawira gave a statement on the case of a tin ore wild mine. (ANTARA/Donatus Dasaprana)

West Bangka Resort Police, Bangka Belitung Islands named three suspects in the tin ore illegal mining case in Telak Village, Parittiga District.

"After going through investigations and investigations, we have named three perpetrators as suspects, we also found a number of evidences at the mining site," said West Bangka Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKP Ecky Widi Prawira as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, January 17.

In this case, the police named three perpetrators as suspects, each with the initials RM (61), ES (38) and AD (32).

The determination of the suspects to the perpetrators began with the police controlling illegal mining activities in Airbunut Hamlet, Telak Village, Parittiga on Wednesday (10/1).

Control is carried out following up on information on tin mining activities carried out without a permit from the authorities using heavy equipment.

"At that time, the team arrived at the location and found several people mining tin sand using heavy equipment, the workers were digging the top layer of the soil," he said.

Knowing this, the officers then showed a task order and asked the mine owner (suspect RM) regarding the mining activity permit, but the perpetrator could not show any permit from the authorities.

Furthermore, the perpetrator RM was arrested, while the heavy equipment operator managed to escape.

"From the results of the examination, the perpetrator had been mining at that location for six days using heavy equipment," he said.

Based on the results of the examination of witnesses from PT Timah Tbk, information was obtained that the location was included in the mining area belonging to the state company.

"Currently, the three perpetrators have become suspects, we are also looking for the whereabouts of heavy equipment operators who have yet to be found," he said.

The evidence found included two units of water spraying machines, two rolled hoses, one pipe trunk, jerry can containing diesel, one heavy equipment unit, and a record of renting heavy equipment which was then confiscated at the West Bangka Police Headquarters.

"From the mine owner's statement, the activity has only been going on for six days and is still in the process of digging the top layer of soil so that it has not produced tin ore," he said.