End of the Sumatra elephant-poaching syndicate saga in Riau
The mystery surrounding the death of a Sumatran elephant, found decomposing with its head severed and tusks missing in Riau, has finally been resolved. From this case, the Riau Police Regional Office has dismantled an organised, cross-provincial wildlife-poaching network. The death occurred in Block C99 within the PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) concession area, Lubuk Kembang Bunga Village, Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency, on 2 February 2026. Police officials subsequently named 15 individuals as suspects, with three others on the wanted list (DPO).
Head of Public Relations of the Indonesian National Police, Inspector General Johnny Isir, visited the Riau Regional Police headquarters in Pekanbaru on Tuesday, 3 March, to hold a press conference detailing the disclosure of the protected Sumatran elephant poaching case. Johnny said the case handling was professional and based on scientific evidence. “After the elephant carcass was found on 2 February 2026, the joint team immediately conducted a crime-scene investigation. On 4 February, necropsy was carried out by a veterinarian from the Riau Regional Natural Resources Conservation Agency, and copper fragments were found in the skull, supporting death by gunshot,” he said.
The investigation employed a Scientific Crime Investigation approach, combining crime-scene analysis, ballistic analysis, digital forensics, GPS collar analysis, and mapping of the perpetrators’ network. “This is not a routine case,” he added. “Crimes against protected wildlife are no longer sporadic; they operate as a network with structure, role distribution, and systematic distribution channels.”
During the press conference, Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan began his remarks by stating that this event should serve as a serious warning to all parties. The Sumatran elephant is not just wildlife but a guardian of the ecosystem. “When it is killed for short-term economic gain, what is damaged is not only one individual but the balance of nature,” he said.
Through the collaboration of all parties, the case could be solved, although the path was long. Authorities pursued suspects from the crime scene in Ukui, Pelalawan, to Padang Sumatera Barat, Jakarta, Surabaya in East Java, Solo in Central Java, and Kudus in East Java.