Graves of the Langkat Regent's Cage Occupants Excavated

TheIndonesia.id - The North Sumatra Regional Police dug up the graves of two occupants of a human cage belonging to the inactive-Regent of Langkat Terbit Rencana Perangin-angin which is suspected to have died as a result of being mistreated there.

Head of Public Relations of the North Sumatran Police, Grand Commissioner Police Hadi Wahyudi, said that the grave excavation was carried out for an autopsy of the body to complete the investigation process.

"The excavation of this grave is to investigate the case of Perangin-angin's cage occupants who died suspected of being victims of persecution," he said as reported by Antara, Saturday, February 12, 2022.

Hadi said the two graves excavated were located at the Pondok VII Public Cemetery (TPU), Sawit Sebrang Village, and in Purwobinangun Village, Sei Bingei District, Langkat Regency.

"The victims' identities are A and S respectively. This grave excavation involves personnel from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the North Sumatra Police and the Forensic Team of the North Sumatra Police Bhayangkara Hospital," he said.

Hadi added that until now the number of people who suspected died of being abused in the cage was three people. Police will continue to make progress to reveal the possibility of other victims who are suspected of being mistreated there. "The team is currently still working on the field," he said.

TheIndonesia was reported Indonesian authorities found 27 people in a human cage inside the house of Langkat Regent Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin who was arrested over a graft case last month.

During the investigation by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on the alleged corruption case involving Angin, its team of investigators found a human cage inside his residence. The 27 people that were found to be living in the cage were initially reported to be workers in the Regent’s oil palm plantation.

However, Migrant Care, an NGO focusing on the protection of migrant workers, later filed a report to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on the suspicion of a trafficking-in-persons (TIP) case related to the finding.

“There were workers in his plantation, and we found seven cases of violent and inhuman treatment, which are suspected as modern slavery and trafficking,” Migrant Care executive director Anis Hidayah said in Jakarta on Monday, January 24.

According to reports received by the NGO, the cage was built to house workers after they returned from the plantation. They were also reportedly cut off from any access, including communication, and were physically tortured.