Police pursue four Indonesians suspected of smuggling foreign nationals to Australia
Kupang (ANTARA) – Police from the Rote Ndao Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, are pursuing four Indonesian citizens who are believed to be involved in smuggling seven foreign nationals from China and Uzbekistan who were attempting to cross to Australia.
The Head of the Rote Ndao Police, Senior Commissioner Mardiono, when contacted from Kupang on Wednesday afternoon, said that the four Indonesian citizens, who were reported to be guiding the foreign nationals, fled when the boat they were travelling in ran aground in Rote Ndao.
“There are four Indonesian citizens who have fled, and our team is currently searching for them,” he said.
The identities of the four Indonesian citizens are currently unknown. They fled into the forest when they saw police officers arriving at the Masidae Beach, Inaoe Village, South Rote District, Rote Ndao Regency.
The Rote Ndao Police have been conducting searches for the four Indonesian citizens since Tuesday (24 February).
“We hope that the public will assist us by reporting to us if they find or see these four suspicious individuals,” he added.
Previously, seven foreign nationals were found stranded with a speedboat on the coast of Masidae Beach, Inaoe Village, South Rote District, Rote Ndao Regency, on Tuesday (24 February).
The seven foreign nationals consist of four Chinese citizens and three Uzbek citizens.
The four Chinese citizens are named Hui Jie, Jiang Bo, Chen Yong, and Dia Guozhong. The three Uzbek citizens are Kasimov, Sultanmoradov, and Shodiev.
“They are currently at the Rote Ndao Police Headquarters for further questioning,” said the Police Chief.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the Chinese citizens had previously entered Indonesia through Jakarta. From Jakarta, they travelled to Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.
They departed on 11 February 2026 using a boat arranged by an intermediary believed to be an Indonesian citizen.
“They claimed to have travelled by sea for about eight days towards the Australian border,” he said.
However, upon arrival, they were apprehended by Australian authorities and asked to return to Indonesian territory using a speedboat with limited fuel, which eventually led them to run aground in the southern waters of Rote Ndao.
The foreign nationals also stated that they communicated with the organisers through social media and intended to travel to Australia to work.
Meanwhile, the three Uzbek citizens claimed to have paid a fee of 400 US dollars per person to the organisers for their travel arrangements.
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