TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results16 arrested in Riau over alleged killings of critically endangered Sumatran elephants
Johnny said eight of the suspects arrested are from Riau, while the rest come from outside the province. Each allegedly played a different role in the operation, ranging from killing the elephant and removing its head to extract its tusks to supplying illegal firearms and acting as buyers and intermediaries in the ivory trade.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Crime against nature: Police officers on Feb. 5 examine the scene where the carcass of a Sumatran elephant was found in a forest concession area of PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) in Ukui district, Pelalawan regency, Riau. (Antara/Handout/Pelelawan Police)
P
olice have arrested 16 suspects in connection with the separate killings of two critically endangered Sumatran elephants in Riau, cases that have renewed scrutiny of wildlife protection in the province.
National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Johnny Eddizon Isir said 15 people have been arrested over the killing of a 40-year-old wild Sumatran elephant in Pelalawan regency last month.
The elephant was found decapitated inside the concession area of PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) in Lubuk Kembang Bunga village on Feb. 2, indicating it had been killed by poachers seeking its tusks.
“A necropsy conducted by the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency [BKSDA] found a fragment of copper in the elephant’s body, a key clue that helped investigators identify the suspects,” Johnny said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Johnny said eight of the suspects arrested are from Riau, while the rest come from outside the province. Each allegedly played different roles in the operation, ranging from killing the elephant and removing its head to extract its tusks, to supplying illegal firearms and acting as buyers and intermediaries in the ivory trade.
Police are still searching for three other people believed to be involved in the case who remain at large.
“This network is highly structured and organized, with financiers backing the operation and individuals tasked with receiving and selling the tusks on the black market,” he said.
