Three suspects were arrested at Soekarno-Hatta airport for involvement in human trafficking

JAKARTA: Police at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have arrested three alleged members of a human trafficking syndicate during an operation that took place between October 14 and November 4 to send Indonesians abroad.

The suspects, identified as KA (24), AD (24) and AT (33), were caught trying to send 28 Indonesians abroad, mainly to China and Qatar.

The operation began when a suspicious woman tried to board a flight to China through the airport’s Terminal 2F on October 14. Upon inspection, it was found that she did not have valid migrant worker documentation.

Further investigation revealed plans for the departure of other migrants to Qatar via Singapore on October 31.

The suspects attempted to deceive authorities by masking the final destination of the potential Indonesian migrant workers, making it appear as if they were only leaving for Singapore.

After their arrest, the suspects were taken to the airport police station for further investigation. The three suspects face several charges, including Article 4 of Law No. 21/2007 on the Eradication of Human Trafficking Crimes.

“We will also encourage the regulation of these rogue LPKs,” Abdul said at a press conference in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, as quoted by detik.com.

“LPKs are training institutions that are supposed to train (prospective migrant workers), but some act as mediators (for human traffickers). This is usually how human trafficking happens illegally.”

He further noted that the ministry aims to identify and close these problematic LPKs, and work with various ministries to ensure effective preparation of migrant workers.

In a separate development, personnel from Bintan Naval Base in Riau Islands on October 28 intercepted two illegal immigrants attempting to illegally enter Batam Island.

The two Chinese nationals, a man and a woman, left Malaysia aboard a slodang wooden boat and were intercepted at Karang Galang in the Riau Strait between Batam and Bintan Islands, the Indonesian Navy said in a statement on October 29 .

The boat was manned by skipper AN and assistant FN. Bintan Naval Base Commander Colonel Eko Agus Susanto said his office had received information about the smuggling attempt and launched a patrol team in the Riau Strait to block the smuggling.

During the blockade, the team heard a boat passing through the Riau Strait at high speed and tried to approach the source of the sound. As the team approached, the boat suddenly attempted to escape, leading to a high-speed chase.

The patrol team attempted to stop the boat by firing three warning shots and managed to secure the offending boat.

Captain AN said the two Chinese nationals were picked up on a beach in Renggi, Malaysia, and were trying to cross illegally into Batam. – The Jakarta Post/ANN