Riau Islands Police Arrest Malaysian Foreigners Perpetrators Of Illegal PMI Delivery

The Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police revealed a case of sending a non-procedural PMI involving one Malaysian citizen in the Riau Islands region, Batam City, Wednesday (9/10/2024). ANTARA/Laily Rahmawaty

The Directorate of General Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimum) of the Riau Islands Police arrested a Malaysian citizen with the initials ZA (43) for allegedly committing a criminal act of recruiting Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) non-procedurally or illegally.

The Director of Criminal Investigation at the Riau Islands Police, Kombes, said that the way ZA recruited non-procedural PMI was a new mode, by means of the suspect going directly to look for prospective workers to be employed in his restaurant.

"Their mode of managing and departing PMI abroad without completing the requirements," Donny said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 9.

Suspect ZA was arrested based on the results of a police report received by the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police during the period August to October, there were four police reports with five non-procedural PMI victims and 5 suspects.

In addition to the suspect ZA, during that period the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police arrested four non-procedural PMI shipments through Riau Islands, each with the initials YU (47), NS (46), RC (41) and NW (30).

The victims who were rescued from the delivery of non-procedural PMI with the initials L from Pekanbaru, K from Bengkulu, N from Banyuwangi, M from Gresik and DF from Jakarta.

"The suspects ZA and the four suspects have no connection. But we are investigating whether this case is a network, and how many times have they recruited this non-procedural PMI," said Dony.

He said the victims were tempted to join workers with ZA to Malaysia because they were promised to work at his restaurant with a salary of 2,000 Ringgit Malaysia (RM).

The suspects were charged with Article 81 in conjunction with Article 69 or Article 83 in conjunction with Article 68 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18 of 2017 concerning the protection of Indonesian migrant workers as amended in Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning the stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation into Law, with a maximum threat of 10 years and a maximum fine of IDR 15 billion.