Sangata, East Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Although a number of people suspected of slaughtering orangutans in Kutai Timur district, East Kalimantan, have already been arrested, police are continuing their investigation into the case to get the crime`s mastermind, a police spokesman said.

The killing of the endangered species occurred in the concession areas of oil palm plantation companies PT CPS and PT SRS in Muara Wahau sub-district.

The Kutai Timur district police had deployed two teams to conduct a further and more intensive investigation to find out who was behind the slaughter, Inspector Rico Yamasri, a spokesman of the local police, said here Tuesday.

One of the teams was now in Samarinda, East Kalimantan`s provincial capital, to obtain data on skeletons of the slaughtered orangutans being kept at the research center of Mulawarman University, Rico said.

The other team was visiting the National Police`s forensic laboratory in Surabaya, East Java, to do a digital examination of a CPU to find management data relating to the orangutan`s extermination.

"Within the next one or two weeks, we will also summon people in the managements of PT CPS and PT SRS for further questioning," Rico said,

The suspects in the case would be charged based on articles in Law No 5/1990 on Biological Natural Resources and their Ecosystems.

The Kutai Timur District police had so far named five men who had worked for PT CPS and PT SRS as suspects in orangutan slaughter. They were identified as Adeus and Leswin Irawan, Tajar, Tulil and Rahman alias Pak Man. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012