Exposed! Structured Network for Illegal Indonesian Migrant Worker Dispatch in Dumai, Dozens Rescued

Dumai, VIVA – The practice of illegally dispatching Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) has been exposed once again. This time, Riau Police uncovered a structured network operating in the coastal region of Dumai City. Dozens of people were successfully rescued before being sent abroad through unofficial routes. The revelation was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Unit of Dumai Police Resort after receiving information about suspicious activities in the Selinsing Beach area, Pelintung Ward, Medang Kampai Subdistrict. Director of General Criminal Investigation at Riau Police, Commissioner Hasyim Risahondua, emphasised that this case demonstrates an illegal practice that has been operating systematically. “What we found in Dumai shows that the placement of migrant workers illegally is no longer sporadic actions, but has developed into a structured and systematic pattern,” said Kombes Hasyim during a press conference at Dumai Police Resort on Thursday, 23 April 2026. According to him, the practice is highly dangerous because it not only violates the law but also opens opportunities for exploitation up to criminal acts of human trafficking against the victims. The uncovering of this case began on Saturday, 18 April 2026 around 15:00 WIB. At that time, police received information about several PMI and foreign nationals who were about to be dispatched to Malaysia illegally. Dumai Police Chief, Ajun Commissioner Hasyim Risahondua, said the team immediately moved to the location and conducted a sweep in the coastal area. At the site, officers found dozens of people gathered in the beach and surrounding forest areas. They were suspected of waiting to be picked up by speedboat to be dispatched to Malaysia. “All of them were immediately secured and brought to Dumai Police Resort for further examination,” said AKBP Angga. The investigation did not stop there; police then developed the probe and found a house on Jalan Meranti Darat which was suspected to be used as a holding place. At that location, officers again found five prospective migrant workers who were suspected of being about to be dispatched illegally. From the results of the uncovering, police have named two people as suspects, namely MF and RGS. The two have different roles in the network. MF acted as the holder of the prospective migrant workers in the transit house, while RGS was responsible for picking up and transporting them from outside the area to the departure point on the coast.