Riau Islands Police Investigate TIP Case Involving BP Batam Employees

Photo archive - Director of General Criminal Investigation of the Riau Islands Police Kombes Dony Alexander (center). (ANTARA/Laily Rahmawaty)

Investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Riau Islands Regional Police, Riau Kepri, are investigating and investigating cases of alleged criminal acts of trafficking in persons (TPPO) involving employees of the Batam Concession Agency.

Director of the General Criminal Investigation of the Riau Islands Police, Kombes Dony Alexander, said that his party had named two suspects in the TIP case, one of which was an employee of BP Batam.

"It's true (secured), currently it's still under development," said Dony as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, November 18.

He said the two suspects had the initials MN (54) an entrepreneurial job and RS alias R (50) had the status of a civil servant at BP Batam.

Dony explained that the TIP case occurred on October 31, 2024, at the Batam Center International Ferry Port, Batam City, Riau Islands.

The victims were two women, namely LF (37) from East Java and TH (24) from West Nusa Tenggara.

This disclosure began with a public report received by investigators from Sub-Directorate IV of the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police regarding the alleged sending of Indonesian migrant workers illegally to Singapore via the Batam Center International Ferry Port.

"From the report, members of Sub-Directorate IV of the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police conducted a series of investigations to find out about a criminal incident," he said.

Based on this information, at around 13.00 WIB, members of Sub-Directorate IV of the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police managed to secure two women at the Batam Center International Ferry Port, which is suspected to be dispatched to Singapore as illegal migrant workers.

After the two prospective illegal migrant workers were arrested, members of Sub-Directorate IV of the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police carried out developments and arrested two men suspected of being the administrators for the departure of the illegal migrant workers.

In this case, officers secured evidence in the form of two passport books, two shipboarding passes, two ship tickets, three cell phones, one bank account book, and one ATM card.

"The alleged perpetrators and victims as well as evidence were brought to the Office of Sub-Directorate IV of the Ditreskrimum of the Riau Islands Police for further investigation," he said.

The police are still conducting an investigation to investigate the possibility of other suspects being involved and there are allegations of network involvement.

The Riau Islands Regional Police also coordinated with the UPTD for the Protection of Women and Children (PPA) of the Riau Islands Province for the storage and repatriation of victims to their home areas.

Meanwhile, BP Batam employees and one other suspect were charged with Article 4 in conjunction with Article 10 in conjunction with Article 48 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) and/or 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 by Law Number 6 of 2024 concerning Stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation into Law.