Inp.polri.go.id - Banda Aceh. The Pidie Sub-regional Police have arrested  a 70-yar-old Bangladeshi national suspected of smuggling 149 Rohingya refugees to the coastal areas of Muara Tiga District in Pidie, Aceh. "HM, a Bangladeshi citizen, facilitated a wooden boat to transport a group of Rohingya ethnicities from the waters of Bangladesh and Myanmar," said Pidie Police Chief Superintendent Imam Asfali in Pidie on Wednesday (6/12/2023). He said that the group was smuggling to Indonesian territory without proper authorization or valid documents.  They Rohingyas were discovered ashore on Tuesday in Muara Tiga District, Pidie. This operation was carried out in collaboration with Agent Zahangir and Captain Saber, who were also involved in smuggling another group of 147 Rohingya individuals. This group was discovered on Wednesday in Batee District, Pidie. Explaining the motive behind the smuggling, Chief Asfali said that the suspects earned profits ranging from Rp 7 million to Rp 14 million (or equivalent to 50 to 100 Daka) per person among the Rohingyas. "If we total the proceeds from this criminal activity, the agent gained around Rp 3 billion," he said, highlighting the lucrative nature of the illegal operation. (mg/inp/pr/nm)