New Panipahan Police Chief Makes Bold Move in Rohil, Seals 8 Houses Suspected of Drug Ties

Iptu Subiarto Tampubolon made a bold move shortly after being appointed as the Panipahan police chief, replacing Iptu Robiansyah. Eight houses suspected of ties to drug lords were sealed. “For now, we have sealed eight houses,” said Iptu Subiarto in his statement on Friday (17/4/2026). Polsek Panipahan, along with Polres Rokan Hilir (Rohil) and Polda Riau, had conducted searches of these houses. However, the searches yielded no drug evidence in the properties. “Yesterday, during the sealing, I accompanied the team to several houses, but no narcotics were found, and they were indeed clean with no misuse,” Subiarto added. Further, Subiarto stated that the investigation and witness examinations related to the drug case are now handled by the Narcotics Investigation Unit of Polres Rokan Hilir, backed by the Narcotics Directorate of Polda Riau. “The witnesses have been taken over by Satnarkoba Polres Rohil and the Ditnarkoba Polda Riau team, as we focus on recovery and maintaining public order and security,” he said. He added that they are now prioritising persuasive steps to calm the situation and prevent it from escalating again. Appeals continue to encourage communication and utilisation of the 110 service for any public order disturbances in the community. The situation in Panipahan is gradually stabilising following cooling-down measures by Polda Riau and Polres Rohil. Police are also building communication with the community to prevent and eradicate drugs. Riau Police Chief Apologises Meanwhile, Riau Police Chief Irjen Pol Herry Heryawan directly met residents in Panipahan Village on Thursday (16/4). During the event, the Police Chief openly expressed his apologies. As the security overseer of the region, Riau Police Chief humbly and openly apologised to the community. “Personally and as Riau Police Chief, I extend my deepest apologies to all Panipahan residents. We also express profound concern over the incident that occurred some time ago,” stated the Riau Police Chief’s apology. This two-star general also shares the community’s anxiety over drug circulation. He expressed the same concern about the situation. He acknowledged that the community’s anxiety, which triggered protests, stemmed from a lack of communication between the public and authorities. “This incident is a wake-up call for all of us. The trigger was simple, but the events arose from shortcomings in mapping and assessing social potentials and symptoms in the community,” he explained. Commitment to Internal Clean-Up In response to the Panipahan situation, Riau Police Chief also conveyed his commitment to internal improvements. Twenty-eight personnel from Polsek Panipahan, from the chief to the Criminal Investigation Unit head and members implicated in colluding with drugs, were removed. “The police station apparatus, including the chief, and all involved personnel have been replaced,” said Irjen Herry, met with applause from residents. This firm action was taken by Riau Police Chief as a corrective measure and comprehensive evaluation in responding to public security and order (kamtibmas). To demonstrate seriousness in internal reforms, all new personnel were urine-tested on their first day at Polsek Panipahan. “Before starting work this morning, everyone was urine-tested, and alhamdulillah, all results were negative,” he said.