The Directorate of General Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimum) of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Regional Police has arrested PT, also known as Panji, the primary suspect in a human smuggling case involving 15 Bangladeshi nationals attempting to reach Australia.

According to Senior Commissioner Henry Novika Chandra, Head of Public Relations for the NTT Regional Police, the smuggling operation initially involved two Indonesian crew members transporting 41 Bangladeshi citizens in November 2024.

“They used a ship to travel through Indonesian waters toward Australia without proper travel documents or passing through immigration checkpoints,” Henry stated in a written release on Friday, January 31, 2025.

During the journey, the two crew members abandoned the ship, escaping on a speedboat and leaving control to one of the Bangladeshi passengers. As the vessel neared Christmas Island, the Australian Border Force (ABF) intercepted it. Subsequently, 15 of the 41 Bangladeshi citizens were deported back to Indonesia aboard a ship operated by Panji.

Upon arrival in Indonesia, Panji disembarked the 15 individuals at Hena Beach, Kolobolon Village, Lobalain District, Rote Ndao Regency, before fleeing on the boat.

Following an investigation and coordination with the Bali Police, the NTT Police's human trafficking task force tracked Panji to Karangasem Regency, Bali. The 39-year-old was apprehended while negotiating the purchase of a canoe from local residents. He was taken to the Karangasem Police Criminal Investigation Unit for questioning and later transported to the NTT Police on Friday, January 31, 2025.

Henry stated that Panji has been charged under Article 120, Paragraph (1) of Indonesia's Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration, in conjunction with Article 55, Paragraph (1), Clause 1 of the Criminal Code. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of five to fifteen years.