Case Of Trafficking In People In Pemalang, Victims Reach 447 People And Loss Of IDR 2 Billion

The Central Java Regional Police revealed a criminal act of trafficking in persons (TPPO) in Pemalang Regency with a total of 447 victims, as well as securing a suspect with the initials AI (35). Central Java Police Chief Inspector General Ahmad Luthfi in Pemalang, said that the disclosure of the case was a development of an illegal shipbuilding ship (ABK) ship accident from Indonesia. "Armed with this information, the Pemalang Police then conducted an investigation into the company that dispatched the illegal crew," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 7. Based on the results of the investigation, he said, Pemalang Police managed to secure a suspect AI (35) as the main director of a company that recruited and gathered prospective crew workers (ABK) to be sent abroad. It is suspected that the suspect did not have a permit to place Indonesian migrant workers issued by the Ministry of Manpower and a letter of permit for recruiting and placing crew members of ships issued by the Ministry of Transportation. Without the permit, said the Kapolda, the suspect continued to carry out activities of recruiting, collecting, and sending prospective ship crew workers abroad within a period of more than 2 years, starting from May 2021 to June 2023. "Of the 447 victims, the suspect has received more than Rp2 billion in profit," said Inspector General Pol. Ahmad Luthfi.

It was also said that the suspect AI would be subject to Article 2 and/or Article 4 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons, subsidiary to Article 84 letter c in conjunction with Article 72 letter c of Law Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers. "For his actions, the suspect will be subject to a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison," he said.