Riau village head, buyer detained over alleged forest clearing for oil palm
Police in Indragiri Hulu, Riau, have detained the head of Pesajian village and a man accused of buying forest land and ordering it cleared for an oil palm plantation. Investigators say village-issued documents were used to support a claim to the land inside a forestry concession.
Land purchase and village documents
The suspects are identified as M, the head of Pesajian village in Batang Peranap district, and ES, the alleged buyer. The disputed plot lies in Compartment I 989 of PT Citra Sumber Sejahter Sejati's (CSSS) industrial forest plantation concession, in neighboring Pauh Ranap village, Peranap district.
Indragiri Hulu Police spokesman Second Insp. Ade Asnal said ES claimed ownership through a purchase in 2008. ES told detectives he paid Rp 3.5 million ($193.08) per hectare, totaling Rp 280 million for 80 hectares. Four hectares had been cleared for conversion to an oil palm plantation.
ES also told investigators that he approached M in 2010 to obtain documents for the land and paid him Rp 15 million to process land parcel statement letters, known as SPST, for 40 parcels, Ade said. Police allege that M issued documents used to claim land within the forest area.
An account published by detikSumut on Oct. 26, 2026, identified an intermediary in the transaction. Citing Indragiri Hulu Police Criminal Investigation Unit chief AKP Yohn Mabel, it reported that the plot was first sold to a person identified as EF in 2008, then resold to ES for Rp 280 million, or Rp 3.5 million per hectare.
Yohn said M, 49, was serving his first term as village head, from 2008 to 2013, when the land was sold. The clearing took place during his second term, according to detikSumut.
Patrol led police to the clearing
The investigation followed a July 6 patrol by CSSS security personnel. Ade said the team heard machinery in Compartment I 989 and went to investigate, finding an excavator operator removing forest vegetation within the concession.
After the security team reported the activity, Indragiri Hulu Police sent its Criminal Investigation Unit to the site. The operator told detectives that ES had ordered the clearing, Ade said. Police then arrested ES and the excavator owner, who Ade also said had ordered the work.
Detectives subsequently arrested M. Ade said investigators named M and ES as suspects after gathering at least two pieces of evidence considered sufficient and reviewing the case. DetikSumut reported that both men were charged under Indonesia's forestry law over the alleged unauthorized clearing and were being detained.
Receipts and land records under examination
Among the materials secured by investigators are four photocopies of purchase receipts naming the parties to the transactions. Police also obtained SPST records for 17 parcels bearing village registration details referenced in a document dated July 10, 2010.
Ade said investigators would use those records to examine the alleged offenses and determine each suspect's role. Police are continuing to trace the transactions through the seized receipts as they pursue others involved in selling the forest land.
National forest enforcement
The case comes amid a broader Indonesian campaign against unauthorized use of state forest zones. According to ANTARA News, the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force, or Satgas PKH, was established under Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025, signed on Jan. 21, 2025.
By October 2026, the task force had reclaimed control of more than 6 million hectares of illegal oil palm plantations within state forest zones, ANTARA reported. The outlet also cited Forestry Ministry data putting about 3.3 million of Indonesia's 16.38 million hectares of oil palm plantations illegally inside those zones.