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View all search resultsPolice step up crackdown on subsidized fuel abuse in Sumatra amid shortage reports
Fuel shortages have been reported in several parts of Indonesia since the start of the year, triggering queues stretching for kilometers and disrupting residents' daily activities.
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Motorists wait to buy Pertalite gasoline on July 16 at a gas station in Medan, North Sumatra. PT Pertamina Patra Niaga is seeking to normalize long queues by extending operating hours to 24 hours and deploying 30 additional fuel tanker trucks to distribute fuel to gas stations across North Sumatra. (Antara/Yudi Manar)
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uthorities have arrested dozens of people suspected of misusing subsidized fuel across Sumatra, intensifying a crackdown on illegal trading amid reports of shortages in several regions.
In North Sumatra, police arrested six people in five cases uncovered between Oct. 21 and Oct. 25, seizing 72,519.3 liters of fuel, said Sr. Comr. Irfan Rifai, the provincial police's director of special crimes.
“The alleged offences included transporting fuel in modified vehicles for storage and resale, as well as tampering with fuel pumps at filling stations to dispense less fuel than customers paid for,” Irfan said on Monday.
In one case, police arrested the manager and supervisor of a filling station in Serdang Bedagai regency on suspicion of tampering with pump seals to manipulate fuel measurements, he said.
Tests found that the pumps dispensed 440 to 510 milliliter’s less fuel than indicated, depending on the fuel type, Irfan said. The alleged practice had continued for about seven years.
Based on sales records and measurements taken between June and October 2026, investigators estimated that the station's operators had made about Rp 595.3 million (US$32,700) from the alleged manipulation, he said.
Read also: Govt to hike imports to meet subsidized gasoline demand
