Police Name 'Flashlight Man' and Landowner as Suspects in Forest and Land Fire

Police have named A, also known as Icong, the ‘flashlight man’, and a landowner with the initial W as suspects in a forest and land fire on Jalan Kalibata Ujung, Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Both face up to nine years in prison.

‘Yes, they are already suspects,’ said Palangka Raya Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Deddy Supriadi, when contacted on Saturday (22/8/2026).

Meanwhile, the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit at Palangka Raya Police, Assistant Commissioner Eka Palti Arie Putra, stated that the two suspects are charged under Article 308 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code.

‘The maximum penalty is nine years in prison,’ he added.

The text of Article 308 Paragraph (1) of the new Criminal Code reads: ‘Any person who commits an act resulting in fire, explosion, or flood, thereby endangering public safety for people or property, shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of nine years.’

Previously, Senior Commissioner Deddy Supriadi revealed that the motive for the burning was to clear land. The police are continuing to investigate the two suspects further.

‘It is definitely for land clearing. The exact details are still under investigation,’ said Deddy.

The fire incident occurred on Monday (17/8) at around 6.30 p.m. local time. It began when a teenager with the initial N (13), along with a friend and volunteers, extinguished a fire on Jalan Kalibata Ujung, which connects to Jalan G Obos XXIV, Palangka Raya.

The teenagers N and V then spotted a fire around 200 metres from Jalan Kalibata Ujung. They rode a motorcycle towards the flames to extinguish them.

On the way, they encountered a shirtless man wearing a headlamp. The man was also holding a cigarette and carrying a traditional machete.

The two teenagers asked where the fire was, but the ‘flashlight man’ replied ‘there is none’ and told them to go home in a harsh tone. As the two teenagers turned back, they saw the flames.

Police investigated the viral video. They identified the ‘flashlight man’ as having the initial A, also known as Icong, and arrested him on Friday (21/8). During questioning, he admitted to setting the land on fire.