Two fuel trucks owned by state-owned energy company PT Pertamina stood out among a crowd of protesters in front of the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday. The trucks were allegedly hijacked and taken to the protest staged by workers laid off by a subsidiary of Pertamina, leading to a police investigation.

Early on Monday morning, the trucks, owned by Pertamina subsidiary PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, were being used to transport 35 kiloliters of biodiesel to a gas station in Tangerang, Banten.

However, just before the trucks entered the Ancol toll gate in North Jakarta at 5 a.m., 10 unidentified men climbed out of a pick-up truck and yelled at the truck drivers, Pertamina Patra Niaga spokeswoman Ayulia said.

“The drivers were threatened and forced to exit the trucks. The hijackers took over the fuel trucks and told the drivers they were heading to the Presidential Palace,” she said on Monday.

She added that the truck drivers’ reports of the hijacking were confirmed by the company’s GPS tracker, which showed the two trucks heading toward the National Monument (Monas) near the Presidential Palace.

After receiving the report, the company immediately filed a police report.

North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Budhi Herdi Susianto said the police located the trucks near Monas in the middle of hundreds of protestors from the Fuel Truck Drivers Workers Union (SPAMT).

“After we located the trucks, the North Jakarta and Central Jakarta Police tried to recover the trucks from the protestors. Alhamdulillah [thank God] by 11 a.m. the trucks had been recovered,” Budhi told reporters.

Ayulia said the trucks had resumed their journey to the intended destination in Tangerang, Banten.

Following the recovery of the trucks the police questioned four witnesses — two truck drivers and two assistant drivers. Police have also identified the 10 men who allegedly hijacked the trucks.

“Protesting is everyone’s right but hijacking is a criminal offense,” Budhi said, adding that the alleged perpetrators could face 12 years imprisonment for multiple charges, including robbery, making threats and violence.

He said the police had yet to discern the exact motive behind the hijacking even though the trucks were found among the protesters.

“We will continue our investigation to see if there were any masterminds behind it,” Budhi added

Meanwhile, SPAMT spokesman Wadi Atmawijaya denied the hijacking was part of the plan for the protest.

“It was a spontaneous act motivated by our disappointment after meeting with the President. We had high hopes that as citizens, our protest to the President would be followed up seriously,” Wadi said.

Last month, a number of SPAMT protesters temporarily halted President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s motorcade during a protest in front of the Presidential Palace. Presidential chief of Staff Moeldoko urged them to direct their protest to the company not the President.

The group has protested against Pertamina Patra Niaga and PT Elnusa Petropin since 2016 after a mass lay-off of 1,095 truck drivers across the country, which they claim was carried out unfairly. The workers have complained about breaches of contract and unpaid salaries and allowances after being laid off.

Wadi said Monday’s protest was aimed at drawing the attention of the President in the hope he would intervene in the workers’ dispute with the company on their behalf.

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