8 Bangladeshis among 16 held trying to enter Indonesia illegally by sea

Indonesian naval authorities have detained 16 people, including eight Bangladeshis, for allegedly attempting to enter Indonesia illegally by sea from Malaysia.

They were detained at Purnama Beach in the West Dumai area of Dumai city in Indonesia’s Riau province, according to Indonesian media reports.

Based on the August 30 tip-off, the Indonesian Navy stepped up surveillance around Purnama Beach and nearby areas.

Early the following morning, a naval operation at the beach initially detained three Indonesian nationals.

Naval personnel later searched the surrounding area and detained eight Bangladeshis and five more Indonesian nationals.

However, the boatman managed to escape.

The high-speed boat powered by two 200-horsepower engines arrived .

During preliminary questioning, the detainees reportedly said they had paid between 6.5 million and 9.5 million Indonesian rupiah each to travel illegally from Malaysia to Indonesia.

Authorities seized the speedboat, passports and mobile phones from the detainees.

The eight Bangladeshis were handed over to the Dumai Immigration Office for registration and further legal processing.

Authorities said action would be taken against them under Indonesia’s immigration laws.