Bogor Police Thwarts The Departure Of 8 Illegal TKWs To The Middle East

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

The Bogor City Police, West Java Police, thwarted the Crime of Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) in the form of departing eight illegal female workers (TKW) who will be dispatched to the Middle East.

Bogor City Police Chief Kombes Pol Bismo Teguh Prakoso in Bogor City, Thursday, December 26, revealed that eight TKWs were ready to depart from the shelter in an apartment in Kedung Badak Village, Bogor City.

Bismo said that his party received a report from the Ministry of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers who received information regarding the shelter of prospective migrant workers to illegal Middle Eastern areas in the Bogor City area on Tuesday, December 24.

"Furthermore, the complainant and the police team visited the apartment, and it was found that there were eight victims of potential illegal migrant workers," he explained, quoted by Antara.

He said the eight illegal TKW candidates came from various regions in Indonesia, such as Sumbawa, Karawang, Lampung, and Purwakarta. The victims were allegedly recruited with promises of work as household assistants abroad.

During the operation, said Bismo, the police also arrested two suspects, namely Meidayanti Kosasih (33) from Bogor and Muhammad Zaxi Lazuardi (31) from Tangerang. Both act as collectors and coordinators of the victims' shipments.

"Furthermore, the reported party and the victim as well as evidence were handed over to the Bogor City Criminal Investigation Unit to be followed up to the investigation level," he said.

In addition, Bismo said, the police also confiscated a number of evidences, including passports, cash amounting to Rp1.1 million and 10 cell phones.

"The suspects violated Article 4 and Article 10 of Law no. 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons and Articles 81 and 83 of Law no. 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers," said Bismo.

Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Bogor City Police, AKP Aji Riznaldi Nugroho, said that the TIP action was an illegal family business. Where the suspect Meidayanti has a sister who is in the Middle East and becomes a DPO.

Based on the evidence and information obtained by the police from the witnesses, Aji said this action had been going on from July to December 2024.

"We are still investigating the recruiters. The position in question is in Indonesia," he said.