A foreign criminal organization that operated a large-scale illegal gambling site like a Cambodian criminal complex in a commercial building in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has been caught by local police.
Indonesia’s National Police Agency said on the 9th local time that it had arrested 321 foreigners for participating in the operation of illegal gambling sites.
They are accused of participating in the operation of more than 70 illegal gambling sites in a commercial building in Jakarta’s Chinatown in the last two months.
Vietnamese accounted for the largest number of foreigners arrested, with 228, with the rest being 57 Chinese, 13 Myanmar, 11 Laois, five Thai and three Cambodians.
They were found to have systematically operated gambling sites by dividing roles into customer service, telemarketing, and financial management.
In Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world, online gambling is illegal, and it is also punished for promoting online gambling content.
Wira Satya Triputra, director of the Indonesian police agency’s criminal investigation bureau, explained that most of the arrested foreigners came to the country for the crime.
Interpol says online gambling operators are moving to Indonesia after recent crackdowns in Cambodia have intensified.
“After the Cambodian government’s crackdown, (criminal organizations) began to see movements toward Indonesia,” said Untung Udyatmoko, a member of Interpol’s Indonesian branch. “This is an expected phenomenon.”
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
