Police Investigate Land Clearing in Siak; Two Heavy Machines Seized from Forest Fire Site

Siak Police are investigating suspected land clearing activities behind the forest and land fires (karhutla) occurring in Pematang Sepetai Hamlet, Dayun Village, Dayun District, Siak Regency. Two units of heavy machinery have been seized from the location.

“From the results of field investigations, we found land clearing activities claimed as customary land (lahan ulayat) by the Bathin Rasul group, led by RN,” stated the Head of Criminal Investigation at Siak Police, AKP Kosmos, in a statement on Tuesday (8/9/2026).

Upon inspection of the site, officers discovered burnt areas that had been covered with mud. Officers also found several empty jerry cans as well as one jerry can containing Pertalite fuel near the location, which are suspected to have been used to burn the land.

“We found two units of heavy machinery hidden in a plantation owned by a local resident. The location of the heavy machinery is approximately one kilometre from the former fire site,” he said.

The two pieces of heavy machinery, consisting of an orange Hitachi excavator and a yellow Sumitomo excavator, were immediately secured by officers and taken to the Siak Police Headquarters for further investigation.

“We suspect that land clearing activities using heavy machinery, chainsaws, and the burning of logging debris are related to the fire events occurring in the area. However, these suspicions are still under investigation to confirm the cause and the responsible parties,” Kosmos revealed.

Kosmos explained that there are parties at the fire site claiming ownership of 600 hectares of land.

“At the location, we found land clearing areas, including burnt trees that were subsequently covered with mud along two newly cleared plots of land,” Kosmos explained.

Moving forward, the Siak Police Criminal Investigation Unit will conduct further crime scene processing alongside the Forensic Laboratory (Labfor) team. They will also install signage and police lines at the site and examine several witnesses.

“We are still conducting in-depth investigations to uncover the sequence of land clearing activities and their connection to the fires that occurred in the area,” said Kosmos.