Drug Convict Encek, Fugitive from Lampung Detention Centre Since 2024, Captured at Myanmar-Thailand Border
The escape of Bayu Wicaksono, known as Encek, a drug convict who fled from the Class II B Sukadana Detention Centre in East Lampung, has finally come to an end.
After being a fugitive for over two years, Encek was captured in the Tachilek area, situated on the border of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Encek is known to have escaped from the detention centre on 21 April 2024, while serving a 14-year prison sentence for drug-related offences.
The Director of Narcotics Crime at the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri), Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, stated that Encek was secured by authorities in Myanmar on 17 July 2026.
“In East Lampung, [he] was arrested in Tachilek, Myanmar, on 17 July 2026,” said Eko on Sunday, 30 August 2026.
Following his arrest, Encek was handed over by Myanmar authorities to the Narcotics Crime Directorate of Bareskrim Polri for further processing. The Indonesian police retrieval team was led by the Deputy Director of Narcotics Crime of Bareskrim Polri, alongside the team from the Indonesian National Police International Relations Division (Divhubinter).
“The retrieval team to Myanmar, led by the Deputy Director of Narcotics Crime of Bareskrim Polri along with the Divhubinter team, arrived in Indonesia at 17:55 WIB,” he noted.
The Deputy Director of Narcotics Crime of Bareskrim Polri, Commissioner Albert Raden Deddy Sulistyo Nugroho, revealed Encek’s journey after his successful escape from the Sukadana Detention Centre. According to Albert, Encek first fled Indonesia to Malaysia, before moving on to Thailand.
“After escaping from Indonesia, he went to Malaysia and then to Thailand,” said Albert.
Encek’s flight was eventually halted in the Tachilek region, which lies on the border of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar.
Upon arriving at the Bareskrim Polri lobby at approximately 19:22 WIB, Encek was seen being escorted by two police officers. His hands were handcuffed and covered with a blue plastic bag.
Encek was subsequently taken in for further interrogation. Albert stated that investigators are still conducting an in-depth examination of the prisoner who had been a fugitive.
The escape of Encek from the Sukadana Class IIB Detention Centre previously occurred on 21 April 2024. At that time, the Head of the Correctional Division of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights for Lampung Province, Kusnali, confirmed the escape of the inmate.