Riau Islands Regional Police's Water Police Director, Senior Commissioner Handono Subiakto, stated at the Riau Islands Regional Police Headquarters in Batam City on Monday that authorities have arrested 11 suspects and are pursuing three other pirate groups.
"This disclosure stems from a report we received regarding a theft involving a Danish-flagged foreign vessel named Torm Elizabeth," Subiakto remarked.
He explained that the incident took place around the Nipah Strait and Philip Strait in Karimun District.
Information about the incidents came from reports by both the public and the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which had documented several acts of piracy.
Following these reports, the Riau Islands Regional Police's Water and Air Police Team conducted patrols at the coordinates specified in the reports. They discovered suspicious activity, including a 72-horsepower Yamaha-powered boat approaching a foreign vessel passing through the Nipah Strait.
"According to regulations, vessels passing through the Nipah Strait must reduce their speed to between 5 and 0 knots, which the perpetrators exploited to board the foreign vessel," he remarked.
He stated that the perpetrators used a 10-meter-long bamboo pole to attach a rope to the foreign vessel and climb aboard.
"Hence, some of these perpetrators specialized in climbing onto ships. Their distinguishing feature was their calloused feet," he remarked.
The Riau Islands Regional Police's Water Police Directorate (Ditpolairud) team successfully intercepted the boat carrying a group of eight pirates on Wednesday, July 9. The eight individuals were identified by their initials: S, I, R, RH, Z, SD, MI, and LA.
He stated that following the arrest of these eight perpetrators, further investigation was conducted, and three others were apprehended. "The three suspects we arrested, identified as P, coordinated the robbery, followed by F and A," he remarked.
Police also found four packages of methamphetamine on suspect F, while suspect A delivered the stolen goods to another perpetrator, identified as Y, in Jakarta.
Handono remarked that, based on information from the robbers in Group P, three other groups are frequently operating in the area: Group J, Group O, and Group JO.
Among the members of Groups J, O, and JO are repeat offenders who have been arrested for similar crimes.
Meanwhile, suspect S, who was arrested with Group P, also committed robbery with Groups J and O.
"We are still investigating these three groups, conducting mapping and pursuit, and hopefully, we can uncover more," Handono stated.
In addition to arresting the perpetrators, investigators also secured evidence, including a barge, three cell phones, four packages of methamphetamine, a high-explosive homemade airsoft gun, and five boxes of stolen spare parts.
The perpetrators were charged under multiple articles: Article 363 of the Criminal Code concerning aggravated theft, Article 480 concerning receiving and selling the proceeds of crime, Articles 112 and 197 concerning narcotics, and Article 55 of the Criminal Code concerning participation in a criminal act.
Related news: Indonesia, Japan coast guard hold joint exercise to fight pirates
Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: Primayanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
