Police in Indonesia have named nine suspects in a human trafficking case involving the crew of a squid fishing boat. The boat is KM Maulana 23. Police at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta announced the suspects on 15 October 2026.
Police said the crew were recruited through Facebook. They were promised a wage of Rp4 million a month. Rp is the Indonesian rupiah. In fact, the crew were paid only Rp35,000 a day, the police chief said.
How the case started
On 1 October, police saw a video on social media. It showed a fishing crew member being beaten. Police traced the boat to the Aru Sea, in Maluku province in eastern Indonesia.
On 2 October, a patrol ship stopped KM Maulana 23 in the Aru Sea. It belonged to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). The boat, of 89 gross tonnage, had 28 crew on board. KKP took the boat and crew to its office in Dobo and suspended the boat's operating licence.
Police identified four crew members who were abused. They were returned to their families on 8 October. The crew said they were beaten when they did not reach their daily catch target. Police in the Aru Islands named 18 suspects for the assaults.
What police say happened
The trafficking case is separate. Police in Tanjung Priok say a group of people worked together to recruit and exploit the crew. According to the police, the nine suspects include:
the director of the company that owns the boat, who police say gave loans that trapped the crew in debt
the boat's captain, who police say set extreme work targets, punished crew and took 10 crew phones
recruiters who found crew on Facebook and took them to a dormitory
guards who watched the crew in the dormitory so they could not leave before boarding
document handlers who forged the crew's work agreements and their signatures
Police said wages were cut without the crew's agreement. Money was also taken for loans, called kasbon. Police said this broke a 2026 KKP regulation on fishing crew wages.
Seven of the nine suspects are in custody. The suspects face up to 15 years in prison under the trafficking law, police said. Police are now preparing the case for prosecutors.
Warning signs for crews
Fake or abusive job offers often look similar. Watch for these signs:
A job offer on social media from a middleman, not from a licensed company.
A high wage in a message, but no written contract before you leave home.
Being kept in a dormitory and not allowed to leave.
A loan or advance that you must repay from future wages.
Someone else signs documents for you, or keeps your phone or papers.
What to do
Ask for a written work agreement before you travel. Read it, sign it yourself and keep a copy or a photo.
Check the name of the company and the boat. Ask the authorities or a union if the company is real.
Never let anyone sign a contract or a certificate application for you.
In Indonesia, you can report problems to the police or to the KKP call centre on 141.
Seafarers anywhere can send suspicious job offers to the ITF at jobscam@itf.org.uk. The ITF is the International Transport Workers' Federation.
Cover photo: The harbour of the Nizam Zachman ocean fishing port at Muara Baru, Jakarta, where many fishing boats are based. Illustrative photo. Photo: Pelabuhan Perikanan Samudera Nizam Zachman Jakarta/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: ANTARA: Polisi tetapkan sembilan tersangka TPPO ABK kapal cumi (15 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), Tribrata News (Indonesian National Police): Polisi Tetapkan 9 Tersangka TPPO ABK KM Maulana 23 (15 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), KKP press release SP.305/SJ.5/X/2026: KKP Amankan KM Maulana 23 Beserta Kru (4 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), detikNews: Time Line ABK Maulana Disiksa hingga 27 Orang Jadi Tersangka (16 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), Metro TV News: Polisi Kejar Pelaku TPPO Modus Rekrutmen ABK (9 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), ITF Seafarers: Recruitment scams.
