Indonesian authorities have detained over one hundred foreign nationals. This large-scale operation was conducted by the Bali Becik unit, a special division of the immigration service focused on monitoring foreigners who break the law. Part of the immigration team surveilled a villa in the Marga area, Tabanan Regency. During the operation, immigration officers detained 103 foreigners, allegedly from Taiwan and China.
Silmy Karim, the Director General of the Immigration Service, stated: "The immigration service regularly conducts operations to identify suspicious foreigners, not only in Bali but throughout Indonesia. By conducting such operations, the immigration service also supports the police in eradicating online gambling." Separately, Safar Muhammad Godam, Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement, reported that the immigration team had previously received reports of foreigner activities at this location and, following a briefing, the arrest team immediately proceeded to the site.
"By 5:00 PM, we managed to detain 103 foreigners, including 12 women and 91 men," Safar clarified. The service even posted a video on Instagram.
The detainees lacked official documents, and all had expired visas. Additionally, numerous computers and mobile phones were found at the scene, indicating probable cybercriminal activities. During the operation, one of the foreigners was caught red-handed in a room equipped with several computers, mobile phones, internet, and other electronic devices. The authorities have not yet disclosed what exactly he was doing. The Directorate General of Immigration praised the role of traditional villages in Bali, which participated in uncovering this case.
"The Bendesa (village head) provided us with information about suspicious activity, and the district head reported that the number of foreigners at this location did not match expectations," said Safar Muhammad Godam.
According to him, the criminals had rented a luxurious three-story villa with an underground parking lot. The landlord was only aware of 12 guests in the residence, while the actual number was nearly ten times higher.
He added that anyone can report suspicious activities of foreigners or abuse of residency permits via the WhatsApp number of the "Bali Becik" task force at 081399679966.
The supervision of foreigners is carried out jointly with village posts of the legal and human rights service. They are located in 327 villages across Bali.
From January to June 2024, 1,836 foreign nationals were deported from Indonesia, and another 56 foreigners were charged with immigration crimes. In Bali alone, 159 foreigners were expelled from January to June 2024, including for expired visas and their improper use, such as working on a tourist visa.
Sources: antara, memoindonesia
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