No new suspect has been named. The number of suspects is still three."
Jambi (ANTARA News) - The Jambi provincial police has questioned an expert witness to complete the dossiers of three people suspected of setting fire to 12 hectares of protected forest in Muarojambi district.

"A team of investigators from the Jambi provincial police has questioned an expert witness from the Jambi provincial forest office," spokesman of the provincial police Adj. Snr. Comr. Almansyah stated here on Monday.

The police will soon pass on the dossiers to the local public prosecutors office, he explained.

"We questioned the expert witness to complete the dossiers, which will soon be passed on to the public prosecutor," he elaborated.

The police had not named any new suspect in the case.

"No new suspect has been named. The number of suspects is still three," he remarked.

The police and the forestry office arrested three people on charges of setting fire to 12 hectares of protected forest in the district on March 11 at around 2 a.m. local time.

The three suspects have been identified as Novri (39), Harjo Tarmin (63), and Sutrisno (32).

During the raid the police also confiscated heavy-duty equipment including an excavator and a chainsow that is used to cut down trees.

If found guilty, the suspects can be sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment and fined up to Rp10 billion.

(Reporting by Nanang Mairiadi/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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