Jakarta. Riau Police have arrested the suspected ringleader of an illegal-logging operation inside a protected forest.

The man, identified as Dinir from Indragiri Hulu district, is suspected of having funded the operation in Pangkalan Pucuk Rantau forest.

Dinir was arrested after five people previously picked up by police had told investigators that he was the one bankrolling the scheme.

“We arrested one [additional] person and he is being questioned now,” the chief of Kuantan Singingi Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Edy Sumardi Priadinata, told state-run news agency Antara on Thursday.

“They have destroyed dozens of hectares of land, causing losses for the country,” the police chief said.

Kuantan Singingi district borders Indragiri Hulu. The case has been handed over to Indragiri Hulu Police.

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Source: The Jakarta Globe