Police Thwart The Smuggling Of TKI To Malaysia And Australia, 3 Suspects Arrested

Illustration of human trafficking (ANTARA)

The Serdang Criminal Investigation Unit (Satreskrim) of the Serdang Bedagai Resort Police, North Sumatra, succeeded in thwarting efforts to smuggle illegal Indonesian workers (TKI) into Malaysia and Australia. A total of 33 residents from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and 7 foreign nationals (WNA) were arrested during the operation.

Regarding the alleged criminal case of trafficking in persons (TPPO), the police have named three suspects, namely two women and one man. The three suspects have the initials ER (45), residents of Pon Village, Serdang Bedagai; AA (33), and AR (43), both residents of Tanjung Balai City, North Sumatra.

Serdang Bedagai Police Chief, AKBP Jhon Rakutta Sitepu, revealed that the three suspects had roles ranging from recruiting to picking up illegal migrant workers with the lure of work in Malaysia. They plan to dispatch the workers through the rat lane in Serdang Bedagai waters.

The disclosure of this case stems from public information about the delivery of migrant workers who were taken by minibus to Tanjung Balai.

"We will immediately conduct an investigation and pursue it. After confirming the characteristics of vehicles that are in accordance with information, officers carried out an ambush and forced termination on Jalan Lintas Sumatra, Serdang Bedagai," said Jhon on Wednesday, November 21.

During the inspection, officers found a number of residents from NTT in the vehicle. The development of the case leads to a shophouse in Sei Bamban District, Serdang Bedagai Regency, which is used as a shelter for illegal migrant workers. At that location, the police found dozens of Indonesian citizens and other foreigners.

Operandi Mode

According to the Police Chief, the victims were dispatched from NTT by ship to Surabaya, then continued the road trip by bus until they arrived in Serdang Bedagai. At the shelter, they are waiting for an illegal departure to Malaysia.

"They are accommodated in this shophouse while waiting for the scheduled departure to Malaysia via the rat route in the waters of Serdang Bedagai," explained Jhon.

Currently, the three suspects have been detained at the Serdang Bedagai Police Headquarters. They were charged with Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons (TPPO).

Police continue to explore this case to uncover a wider network of people trade and prevent similar crimes in the future.