Inp.polri.go.id - Tanjung Pinang. The Bintan Naval Base and the Foreign Nationals Monitoring Task Force intercepted an smuggling attempt of two Chinese people from Malaysia into Batam, Riau Islands. 

The suspects used a small, high-speed boat powered by a Yamaha 40 PK engine to cross the Riau Strait near Karang Galang, Bintan Regency, on Monday.

“The operation began when our team was patrolling and monitoring the Riau Strait, a suspected route for illegal entries,” Colonel Eko Agus Susanto, Commander of Bintan Naval Base, said during a press conference on Tuesday (29/10/2024).

The patrol team detected the boat speeding through the strait and pursued it, prompting the smugglers to accelerate in an escape attempt. 

“Our team issued three warning shots, which forced the boat to stop,” explained Commander Eko.

Upon inspection, authorities found the boat's crew and two Chinese people, a man and a woman. The suspects confessed they had picked both up from Malaysia's Renggit Beach for an illegal crossing to Batam.

(mg/ay/pr/nm)