Three Komodo deer-hunting suspects face up to 15 years in prison

Labuan Bajo — Three men accused of armed illegal deer hunting in Komodo National Park have been named suspects and now face up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to Rp5 billion under Indonesia’s revised conservation law, according to forestry law-enforcement officials.

The suspects, identified as AB, AD and Y, were arrested after a joint patrol intercepted their wooden boat off Komodo Island in the early hours of Sunday, 14 December 2025, following intelligence on alleged deer hunting inside the protected area, according to the Ministry of Forestry’s law-enforcement office and local media reports.

Officials said the operation involved the Balai Penegakan Hukum Kehutanan (Gakkum) for Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, Komodo National Park staff, maritime police units and Manggarai Barat police, who were conducting a routine patrol reinforced by targeted information about illegal hunting.

Gunfire and key evidence

Forestry law-enforcement authorities said the patrol attempted to stop a suspicious boat near Laju Pemali off Komodo Island around 2 a.m. local time, but the vessel tried to flee and the group on board allegedly opened fire on officers, triggering an exchange of gunfire in the Sape Strait before the suspects were detained.

Investigators later conducted underwater searches at the site and recovered additional evidence, including one male Timor deer carcass, a homemade long-barrel firearm with its magazine, ten spent bullet casings and eight live 5.56-millimetre rounds, alongside knives, bags, lights, a mobile phone and the wooden boat, according to the forestry enforcement office.

Authorities said the three suspects are accused of illegal hunting of protected wildlife in a national park and unlawful possession and use of a firearm, and that up to five other alleged members of the group escaped and have been placed on a wanted list.

The forestry ministry’s enforcement division said the men are being charged under Law No. 32 of 2024 on Conservation of Living Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to category VII, Rp5 billion, for serious conservation offences, as well as under Emergency Law No. 12 of 1951 on firearms, which allows penalties ranging from lengthy fixed terms of imprisonment to life imprisonment or the death penalty, depending on the final charges.

Subsequent arrest after months on the run

In August 2026, forestry investigators arrested INS, 33, described by officials as one of several fugitives from the December 2025 armed hunting case in Komodo National Park.

Forestry law-enforcement officers said INS, who had been listed as a wanted suspect since December 2025, was detained in Sumi village, Lambu sub-district, Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, after allegedly fleeing the earlier joint operation in which officers reported armed resistance from the hunting group.

Officials described INS as a member of the same group suspected of hunting Timor deer at Loh Laju Pemali on Komodo Island on 13 December 2025, although they did not specify whether he is one of the three men initially named as AB, AD and Y or an additional suspect.

Significance for Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is a UNESCO-listed conservation area and core habitat for Komodo dragons and other protected species, including Timor deer, which officials have described as a key prey species within the park’s ecosystem.

Forestry enforcement and park officials have said that repeated illegal hunting of deer threatens both the species itself and the food base of Komodo dragons, making armed poaching and removal of individual animals a direct conservation and security concern inside the park.

According to the forestry ministry’s law-enforcement office, the case has prompted calls from senior officials for stronger joint patrols, closer coordination between national park authorities and police, and more sustained efforts to address the social and economic drivers of illegal hunting around Komodo National Park.

Case timeline

• 13 December 2025: Officials say a group of hunters is suspected of illegally taking Timor deer in the Loh Laju Pemali area of Komodo Island.
• 14 December 2025: A joint team from forestry enforcement, Komodo National Park and police intercepts a wooden boat in nearby waters, reports an exchange of gunfire and detains three suspects identified as AB, AD and Y.
• 19 December 2025: Forestry law-enforcement officials announce that the three men have been formally named suspects and face layered charges under the conservation and emergency firearms laws.
• 1 April 2026: Officials say case files against the three suspects are declared complete and handed to Manggarai Barat prosecutors, preparing the case for trial.
• Late August 2026: Forestry enforcement officers arrest INS, 33, in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, as a wanted suspect in the Komodo deer-hunting case after several months on the run.

Sources

• Kementerian Kehutanan - Gakkum Kemenhut rampungkan berkas kasus perburuan rusa di TN Komodo, tersangka siap sidang
• Detikcom - 3 Pemburu Rusa di TN Komodo Ditetapkan Tersangka, 5 Masih Buron
• Liputan6 - Penangkapan 3 Pemburu Rusa di Pulau Komodo Diwarnai Kejar-kejaran dan Baku Tembak
• Tempo - Tiga Pelaku Perburuan Rusa di Pulau Komodo Ditangkap