FU, Denpasar – A resident named Agus Suardiasa a.k.a Agus Bule living at Perum Puri Persada No. 6, Jalan Raya Blumbungan Gerih, Blumbungan Hamlet, Sibang Kaja Village, Abiansemal District, Badung Regency, Bali, was arrested and detained by the Bali Water and Air Police Directorate (Bahasa: Polairud), on Tuesday (27/2/2024). The arrest and detention in question were allegedly due to violations of regulations relating to Oil and Natural Gas as referred to in article 40 number 9 of the Law of the Indonesia Republic Number 6 of 2023, which occurred several days earlier.
This case attracted public attention, not only because the arrest process was very unprocedural and odd, but also because there were strong indications of a criminal act of extortion of those policemen against the suspect’s family by demanding a ransom of Rp. 90 million. As stated by the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Citizen Journalists Association, Wilson Lalengke, who associated the behaviour of the police officers as a group of kidnappers.
“If the information is correct, the involved Bali Polairud in this case is no different from the group of kidnappers and hostage-takers, who then contacted their families asking for ransom money so that the hostages would be released. It’s really embarrassing for the gang of police officers in Bali,” said Wilson Lalengke to this media, Monday, March 25 2024.
It should be noted that Agus Sudiarsa was detained along with 2 of his colleagues who were previously arrested in connection with the same case. This man from Jembrana came to Polairud since he heard information that his colleague had been arrested and detained by police officers in the unit that was supposed to handle public security and order in the water and air area. Arriving at the Polairud office, Agus Sudiarsa was immediately detained.
He told his family that while he was detained at Polairud from February 27 2024, he had not been investigated by Polairud. During the detention period, Polairud investigators asked for negotiation money a.k.a. ransom, of Rp. 30 million per person, so the amount of money that must be provided by Agus Sudiarsa and his 2 colleagues is Rp. 90 million. The police promised that the three suspects would be released after the ransom was paid.
“Sir, if you want to get out, Agus Suardiasa and his friends must provide 30 million rupiah per person, then we will help them to be released. If now you have the money, now you get out, as long as there is a guarantor and a guarantee letter,” said Agus Sudiarsa, echoing the investigator’s words, named Sigit and Agung Bagus, to his family who live in Jembrana, Bali.
Regarding this case, Wilson Lalengke, who is an alumnus of PPRA-48 Lemhannas RI in 2012, asked the attention of the National Police leaders to seriously evaluate and provide guidance to his members so that they do not become criminals dressed as law enforcement officers. According to him, the police force’s image has recently deteriorated due to the criminal behaviour exhibited by so many members of the brown planthopper corps. If he is unable to improve the mentality of his members, he suggested that the National Police Chief simply step down from the leadership of this institution which is funded expensively by the people.
“Mr. Chief of Police, you should just resign if you are unable to train members to behave as befits a police officer, who is required by the state to serve, protect, and enforce the law. What happened while you were in office, on the contrary, was that so many members of the brown shirt corps became criminals. All forms and types of criminal acts have been carried out by hundreds of thousands of police officers everywhere,” said Wilson Lalengke while mentioning various cases involving the police, from domestic violence, rape, theft, robbery, fraud, illegal mining, bribery, falsification of documents, case engineering, to international scale drug lord General Teddy Minahasa, and the murder by General Sambo.
It is worse that so many reports sent to the Police Supervisor Division regarding the criminal behaviour of certain policemen are simply ignored. “Even complaints made by members of the police are not followed up properly. For example, in the case of policewoman Rusmini in Lampung who was tyrannized by the police at the South Lampung Police, the policewoman’s salary was taken for 8 years by the brown shirt gang, until today the result is zero point zero. The condition of policing in this country is very bad,” said Wilson Lalengke sadly.
According to information obtained from the suspect’s family, Agus Suardiasa dared to carry out the work in question, namely bringing and retailing Pertalite fuel to several Mini POMs, because it was based on orders from the gas station manager, Pande Darmawiguna. Agus Suardiasa was given a Barcode code to make it easier to collect fuel at gas station 54.803.15 Sibang Kaja, North Denpasar.
This allegedly illegal activity was also backed up by security forces wearing police uniforms, from the Sector Police to the Regional Police level. The sale of Pertalite fuel to POM Mini was regulated by the SPBU Manager Pande Darmawiguna, including securing a group of security officers. Policemen from the Bali Regional Police, the Polairud Benoa, the Badung Police, and the Abiansemal Sector Police receive a monthly bribery of IDR 1.5 million each. The monthly bribery funds are given to the Bali Regional Police through Unit 1; Polairud Benoa through Secret Agent, Agung and Dek Bing; Badung Police through the Tipiter Unit; and the Abiansemal Sector Police through Ajik Landung and Pak Oka.
The families of the three victims of authority abuse by members of the Bali Polairud officers hope that the National Police Supervisor Division will go to the Bali and examine all those involved in the BBM case. For the sake of justice and correct law enforcement, everything must be investigated thoroughly, especially because there are individuals from the Abiansemal Police and Badung Police, as well as the Regional Police and Polairud who are involved.
“We hope that the authorities will also arrest and investigate all parties involved, including the gas station manager as the mastermind and big boss who is suspected of being behind the criminalization efforts by victimizing his own subordinates. I ask the Head of the Police Supervisor Division to immediately intervene regarding the parties within the Bali Police who are involved in this case,” requested Agus Sudiarsa’s family, who did not want his name to be published in the media.
At the end of his statement, Wilson Lalengke encouraged the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) to be proactive in monitoring and improving the National Police institution in accordance with its main duties and authority. “I really hope that external parties to the National Police, such as Kompolnas, should be proactive in monitoring, evaluating and improving the National Police institution so that it can carry out its main functions properly and correctly. Members of the National Police who are jerks and have mutated into criminals with guns should be cut off. Don’t keep them, as they will eventually become the deadly Covid virus in the form of humans wearing uniforms in this country,” stressed this President of Persisma. (APL/Ed)