Batang Police Unloads Human Trafficking Case, 72 People Are Promised To Work As Crew Members

The Batang Resort Police, Central Java, has uncovered a criminal case of trafficking in persons (TPPO) with the mode of employing victims to work as crew members illegally (ABK) and at the same time assigning the Director of Two Indonesian Anchors with the initials MS (40) as a suspect.

Batang Police Chief AKBP Saufi Salamun said that as many as 72 victims of migrant workers who were sent abroad did not have the expertise or ability as sailors.

"The target of this TIP case is that the suspect is looking for victims who do not have the work and technical ability to be employed as crew members or sailors," said Saufi, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 20.

Police Chief AKBP Saufi Salamun who was accompanied by the Head of the Detective and Criminal Unit AKP Andi Fajar said that some of the victims who had been sent abroad had now been sent back to their hometowns.

Currently, he said, his party is still developing a criminal case of trafficking in persons after several victims were returned to Indonesia.

"Currently, we are still investigating the TIP case. We hope that the suspect can be arrested as soon as possible," he said.

He said the suspect did not have a permit to place Indonesian migrant workers issued by the Ministry of Manpower, recruitment business permits, and the placement of crew members issued by the Ministry of Transportation.

Without the permit, he said, the suspect continued to carry out activities to recruit, collect, and send prospective ship crew workers abroad within the period from April 2022 to June 2023.

The articles suspected of being suspects are Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons, as well as Article 81 in conjunction with Article 69 of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers.