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View all search resultsVillage head in Riau nabbed in forest sale for oil palm plantation
The Pesajian village head, identified as M, allegedly issued land documents which were used to claim land in the forest area.
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Two excavators knock down oil palms on Dec. 20, 2025, in Bagan Limau village, Ukui district, Pelalawan regency, Riau. The knocking down of the oil palms marked the relocation of 228 families owning some 600 hectares of land out of the national park. (Courtesy of Riau provincial administration./-)
D
etectives from the Indragiri Hulu Police in Riau named two people as suspects, including a village head, for deforestation and encroachment in a forest inside a company’s concession area.
The suspects were identified as ES and M, the head of Pesajian village in Batang Peranap district. In this case, M issued land documents which are used to claim land in the forest area. Meanwhile, ES bought the land and ordered deforestation using heavy equipment.
The plot of land in question was Compartment I 989 in the neighboring Pauh Ranap village, Peranap district.
Indragiri Hulu Police chief spokesman Second Insp. Ade Asnal said both men were named suspects after detectives conducted a series of investigations and case exposé.
“Detectives have also acquired at least two pieces of evidence which are deemed sufficient,” he said on Tuesday.
The case was unraveled after the police receive information from the security team from industrial forest plantation (HTI) concession holder PT Citra Sumber Sejahter Sejati (CSSS), which conducted routine patrol on July 6.
“During patrol in Compartent I 989, the security team from PT CSSS heard the sounds of heavy equipment in operation,” Ade said.
“When they checked the sound’s source, the team witnessed an operator was working on an excavator to clear up forest vegetation inside the concession.”
Read also: Indonesia may seize another 5 million hectares of palm oil plantations in 2026
The security team immediately filed a report on the finding of illegal activities with the Indragiri Hulu Police, which deployed its Criminal Investigation (Reskrim) Unit.
“Detectives questioned the excavator operator and got the information that ES ordered the deforestation,” Ade said.
“We then arrested ES and the excavator owner who ordered the clearing of the land.”
ES also claimed that he owned the land, of which four hectares had been cleared and will be converted into an oil palm plantation.
“ES told detectives the land ownership claim based on a purchase in 2008, when he bought the land at Rp 3.5 million (US$193.08) per ha for a total of Rp 280 million,” Ade said.
“In 2010, ES applied for documents for the 80 ha of land with Pesajian village head M. He said to have given M Rp 15 million for processing fee of land parcel statement letter [SPST] for 40 parcels of land.”
Detectives then arrested M after a series of investigations and collecting pieces of evidence, he added. Both suspects are being detained in the case of forest encroachment for conversion into palm oil plantation.
Read also: Two more companies named suspects in wildfire probes
Detectives have secured several pieces of evidence related to the alleged land transaction and management, such as four photocopies of sales purchase receipts containing names of the parties and SPST for 17 parcels of land with village registration number as mentioned on a document dated July 10, 2010.
“These pieces of evidence will be used in legal investigation process to study alleged crimes and roles of each suspect,” Ade said.
The police are still studying the series of transactions and developing the case to target parties selling the forest area based on the receipts seized. (nvn)
