inp.polri.go.id - Padang. The West Sumatra Regional Police foiled a cunning scheme by a perpetrator to transport and embezzle subsidized fuel (BBM) in Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra, to avoid detection by authorities or the public.
"The perpetrator attempted to deceive by wrapping the subsidized fuel in plastic and sacks," said the Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the West Sumatra Regional Police, Senior Superintendent Siswantoro, at a press conference in Padang on Monday (10/26/2026).
He said the subsidized diesel fuel was placed in a plastic bag lined with sacks, similar to the plastic bags typically used for live fish.
With the plastic bag lined with sacks, the perpetrator, identified as M, hoped that bystanders would assume the vehicle was carrying fish, adding a styrofoam box to further convince the perpetrator.
"Fortunately, this scheme was thwarted by Pesisir Selatan Sub-regional Police personnel. The plan was to sell the fuel to the Jambi region," he said.
He explained that in previously uncovered cases of subsidized fuel misappropriation, the perpetrators typically used jerrycans or modified tanks to store and transport the fuel.
However, with the disclosure of the case in Pesisir Selatan, the police have obtained new information that needs to be addressed.
The Director of Special Crimes stated that the West Sumatra Regional Police and its ranks must continuously update their investigative strategies so that law enforcement can keep up with the perpetrators' evolving methods.
The Head of the Pesisir Selatan Sub-regional Police Criminal Investigation Unit, First Police Inspector Ai Am'ar Faradhyba, stated that perpetrator M's scheme was thwarted by his team on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
Police initially received information from the public about a suspicious pickup truck with a plastic baggie in the back, coming from the direction of Kambang, the local regency.
"We attempted to stop the car to conduct an inspection, but the driver refused to stop and fled, nearly injuring the officers," he said, attending a press conference in Padang.
He said the officers and the suspect's car were involved in a chase on the road, but lost track of them during the chase.
The search was resumed by police on Thursday at around 10:00 a.m. Officers found a pile of sacks containing fuel.
"After further investigation, it was finally confirmed that the owner of the goods was M, who was immediately detained and named a suspect," he said.
Suspect M admitted that the fuel he was transporting was subsidized diesel fuel and that it was deliberately wrapped in plastic or fertilizer sacks containing 60 liters each.
The suspect wrapped 37 sacks of diesel fuel in plastic and sacks, totaling more than 2 tons.
"The suspect admitted that the diesel fuel was intended to be sold in Jambi. Suspect M is now being detained and undergoing legal proceedings at the Pesisir Selatan Police," he explained.
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