Fuel Hoarder in Pontianak Arrested for Selling Pertalite at Rp 17,000 per Litre

Police have arrested a suspect involved in hoarding subsidised Pertalite fuel in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. The suspect carried out his activities by queuing at several petrol stations using a pickup truck. This took place while residents of Pontianak and Kubu Raya were facing difficulties in obtaining Pertalite, leading to long queues lasting hours. Pontianak Police Criminal Investigation Unit Chief AKP Happy Margowati Suyono stated that the suspect was apprehended on Friday (21/3/2026) around 10:00 PM local time in the Jalan Karet area, Sungai Beliung Ward, West Pontianak Subdistrict. “Officers secured one suspect, one pickup vehicle, and nine jerrycans suspected to contain Pertalite,” Happy said, as quoted by detikKalimantan on Monday (23/3). Upon inspection, the nine jerrycans each had a capacity of 35 litres, but only three contained fuel. “The total secured fuel amounts to around 90 litres,” she explained. The suspect sold the Pertalite through a Pertamini kiosk at prices ranging from Rp 12,000 to 17,000 per litre.