Inp.polri.go.id - Kupang. The Rote Ndao Sub-regional Police arrested seven Chinese citizens and three Indonesian crew members after their unidentified vessel was found adrift in southern Rote waters on Sunday.
“They are suspected of being illegal immigrants entering Indonesian territory without valid documents,” said Rote Ndao Police Chief Superintendent Mardiono on Monday (27/10/2025), as quoted by antaranews.com.
All ten of them are now detained at Rote Ndao Police Headquarters for further investigation, in coordination with Kupang Immigration Office.
The Chinese citizens were identified as Lin Wen Song (34), Chen Xiao Bin (46), Lin Sheng Jin (39), Zheng Juandi (42), Hongchang Xing (46), Zheng Zu Yun (48), and Song Yu (35). The three Indonesian crew members were Aco (22), Jusman (32), and Indra (46) from Southeast Sulawesi.
The arrest followed reports from local fishermen who spotted a white boat with no identification marks near Pulau Ndana. Under police supervision, the vessel was escorted to Oebou Port, where officers conducted a full inspection.
The unnamed vessel remains docked at Oebou Port for examination by a joint team from Rote Ndao Police, East Nusa Tenggara Water and Air Police, and Immigration authorities, as investigations continue into possible human trafficking or smuggling networks.
(mg/inp/pr/rs)
