Police personnel round up suspects of a cyber-fraud crime syndicate in this handout photo of Graha Familia residential Blok N1 in Surabaya, East Java, Sunday (30/7). A National Police special task force, working together with the Chinese Police, has arrested 93 suspects, consisting of 81 Chinese and 12 Taiwanese nationals, who will be deported immediately to their countries of origin
SIDOARJO, KOMPAS — As many as 149 foreign nationals from China and Taiwan were arrested Saturday in three different locations, namely Sidoarjo, East Java; Badung, Bali; and Jakarta.
They were arrested for their alleged involvement in international internet fraud.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the cybercrimes could potentially be conducted by any foreign nationals visiting Indonesia on a tourist visa. As an international tourist destination, Indonesia receives many foreign tourists.
"Of course the control over the foreign tourists should be strengthened," the Vice President said after the launch of the Year of Safety for Humanity 2017-2018 program during car free day at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, Central Jakarta, Sunday.
A total of 92 foreigners were arrested in Surabaya by the special team of the Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) of the National Police for their alleged involvement in the online crime with turnovers of Rp 2.4 trillion. Four Indonesian citizens were also arrested.
Team leader Adj. Comr. Susatyo Purnomo Condro said the 96 international-scale fraudsters were arrested in an elite residential area in western Surabaya. They were arrested in four locations, all in the housing complex. "Of the 92 arrested foreigners, 66 are men and 26 women. All [Chinese and Taiwanese] foreigners were brought to Jakarta for further investigation, while four local residents were handed over to the East Java Police," Susatyo said.
According to the police, the 92 foreign nationals, after having arrived in stages, had stayed in Surabaya since January 2017. They are still being investigated on whether they entered Surabaya through the Juanda Airport or through other areas.
Target
The international cybercrime syndicate are targeting Chinese and Taiwanese citizens in countries in which it operates. Indonesia is used only as a place to commit the crimes. They have earned Rp 2.4 trillion in revenue during operations.
The modus operandi was carried out by profiling the potential victims, particularly in terms of their bank accounts. The victims were then told they had been involved in a crime and that they could be soon declared suspects. They were latter introduced to another member of the syndicate who acted as a fake law enforcement officer, after which they were asked to give money if they wanted to be free from legal punishment.
Based on the modus operandi, the alleged perpetrators of the fraud were well organized and possibly also operated in several cities in Indonesia, Susatyo said. Their operation could be organized by certain groups of people because, of the 92 arrested foreigners, only 20 have passports. They also had different types of visa -- tourist visa and work visa.
The criminal investigation unit of the National and Bali police on the same day raided a house at the Puri Bendesa housing complex, Benoa Subdistrict, Badung, Bali. In the house, the police arrested 28 foreigners from China who were allegedly involved cross-country fraud. Three Indonesian citizens were also arrested in the raid.
In Jakarta on Saturday, the police also arrested 29 Chinese nationals – 16 men and 13 women. They lived in a luxurious house on Jl. Sekolah Duta Raya, Pondok Indah, Jakarta. The house is suspected to be the center of the criminal activities. The modus operandi of foreigners in Badung and Pondok Indah was similar to that of those arrested in Surabaya.
In Palembang, the South Sumatra Police arrested 24 foreign workers from China. The workers allegedly violated their stay permits working on the light rail project (LRT).
