November 7, 2025 | 08:07 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) has arrested a suspect involved in illegal mining in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) area in East Kalimantan. The suspect, M, was apprehended last week after being on the run for two months.
"He has been a suspect for two months but was not cooperative and fled. He was only caught last week," said Chief Commissioner Feby D.P. Hutagalung, Deputy Director of Special Crimes at Bareskrim, in a text message on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
M is currently probed by the police, as an investor and seller of coal mining products in the IKN area, with around 160 hectares of land. The illegal activities took place in the Soeharto Forest Park, Samboja District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, which is part of the IKN area.
Prior to this arrest, Bareskrim had named three suspects, namely YH, CH, and MH, in July 2025. YH and CH acted as illegal coal sellers, while MH was a buyer.
Thus far, the police have seized several vital pieces of evidence, including 351 containers of coal, seven heavy equipment units, and various documents. Previously, the Director of Special Crimes, Inspector General Nunung Syaifudin, stated that this illegal practice had been ongoing since 2016.
Since 2016, this mining site has caused Rp3.5 trillion in state losses, in addition to forest damage and potential timber worth Rp2.2 trillion. "So the total is Rp5.7 trillion," said Nunung Syaifuddin to the media in Surabaya on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
The suspects are charged under Article 161 of Law Number 3 of 2020 concerning Minerals and Coal in conjunction with Article 55 of the Indonesian Criminal Code. The punishment could reach up to 5 years in prison and a fine of Rp100 billion.
Bareskrim is currently conducting a visit to the illegal mining site in IKN to seize other pieces of evidence. "Seizing the remaining coal around IKN," said Febi.
Hanaa Septia contributed to the writing of this article
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