YOGYAKARTA - The Yogyakarta City Police Criminal Investigation Unit team arrested a person with the initials RD, a resident of Semarang, Central Java on suspicion of trafficking protected animals through social media.
Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of Yogyakarta Police, Kompol Andhyka Donny Hendrawan, said that suspect RD was arrested on October 15 in Semarang after tracking him through his Facebook account.
"On Friday (15/10) we from the Yogyakarta Police Satreskrim held a cyber patrol in which one of the social media accounts with the initial RD account sold protected animals," he said, quoted by Antara, Friday, October 22.
The arrest of RD in Semarang, Central Java, continued Andhyka, was carried out by a joint team with officers from the Yogyakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).
During the arrest, officers secured evidence in the form of seven Javan slow loris (Nyticebus javanicus), one binturong (arctictis binturong), one estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and one Irish crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae).
Based on RD's statement, according to him, the practice of buying and selling protected animals has been carried out for three months. The animals that are traded are also obtained from the island of Java by transactions through social media.
"If the area is reached, he will deliver it directly, if it is far away, he will use an expedition," he said.
The Yogyakarta Police, said Andhyka, are still developing their pursuit of other perpetrators.
"By disclosing the case of the sale of protected animals, thank God we can save the protected state animals so that they remain sustainable," he said.
The suspect RD is threatened with Article 40 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 21 paragraph (2) letters a, b, and d of Law Number 5 of 1990, concerning Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems in conjunction with Article 84 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code with a penalty of five years imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp. 100 million.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Regional I Conservation Section of the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) DIY Untung Suripto appreciated the disclosure of the trade in protected animals by the Yogyakarta Police.
According to Untung, cases of online illegal trade are increasing because the communication and sales system is very easy and can be from anywhere.
"The cases of online trafficking are increasing, but on the other hand, the police are also revealing a lot," he said.
Untung said that the animals that had been secured, especially the Javan slow loris, which are now being kept at GL Zoo Yogyakarta, made it possible to immediately release them into the wild.
"It will depend on the investigators and the prosecutor's office, but based on references and observations from veterinarians, this can be released directly into the wild," he said.
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