Police Name Five Suspects in Batam-Bintan Power Blackout Case
The National Police Criminal Investigation Department, through its Directorate of Certain Crimes (Dittipidter), has named five suspects in the total power outage in Batam and Bintan Island, Riau Islands (Kepri).
The suspects are four people from PLN Batam, identified by the initials AWD, ZR, RB and DA, and a contractor identified as AIP.
Their designation as suspects followed an investigation under Police Report No. LP/A 121/X/2026/SPKT/DITTIPIDTER/BARESKRIM POLRI, dated 16 October 2026.
“We have named five people as suspects: four from PLN Batam and one contractor,” said Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni, director of the Criminal Investigation Department’s Directorate of Certain Crimes, at a press conference at the Riau Islands Police headquarters on Tuesday (20 October).
Irhamni said the decision followed a series of investigative steps, including an examination of the scene and a case review.
Investigators have also questioned 25 criminal and forensic expert witnesses, divided into two clusters. They found indications of negligence in the blackout.
“There was negligence involving vital equipment by PLN staff. They should have followed the standard operating procedure (SOP),” he said.
The total power outage occurred at around 6.28am on Monday (12 October) at the Sei Harapan substation in Sekupang district, Batam.
Witnesses at the site, including operators on duty and security guards, heard a loud explosion coming from Transformer 1, caused by a short circuit.
Eight minutes later, at 6.36am, a widespread disruption to the electricity supply led to a blackout in Batam and Bintan.
A joint team from the Criminal Investigation Department’s Directorate of Certain Crimes, the Riau Islands Police and the National Police Forensic Laboratory examined the scene on Wednesday (14 October). The inspection found signs of melting on the 150 kV bushing of Transformer 1. Nearby, investigators also found a live monkey with severe burn injuries.
“Investigators found a failure in Transformer 1’s protection system. The protection circuits, which should detect and isolate faults to prevent them from spreading, are strongly suspected of not operating in accordance with the standard operating procedure (SOP),” he said.
The suspects face multiple charges, including Article 319 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
Police are also applying Article 51(1) of the Electricity Law as an alternative charge, as the specific law governing the case. Based on calculations of customer compensation following the widespread outage, losses to the state are estimated at Rp57,315,057,007.