INDONESIAN POLICE CONFISCATE MILLIONS IN CRACKDOWN ON GAMBLING NETWORK

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, May 2 (Bernama) -- Indonesian police have cracked down on a major online gambling syndicate, seizing 75 billion rupiah (US$4.8 million) and arresting four suspects following a months-long cybercrime operation.

The suspects, including a Chinese national, believed to be the ringleader, were detained following investigations by the cybercrime unit of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim).

Unit director Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji said 61 billion rupiah was seized from 164 accounts linked to online gambling, while the rest remain blocked by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK).

“The seized assets included 14 billion rupiah in cash, along with mobile phones, ATM cards, and bank documents,” he stated in a statement.

He said one suspect was arrested in Bandung, West Java, on March 13, while the other three, including the alleged ringleader, were apprehended on April 30, all are accused of managing an online gambling site through the domain h55.hiwin.care.

The investigation was based on intelligence from PPATK, which identified 5,885 bank accounts suspected of involvement in illegal gambling, with deposits of around 600 billion rupiah (about US$36.2 million).

“The suspects are being investigated under the Electronic Transactions Law, the Anti-Money Laundering Law, and the Criminal Code. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison,” Himawan said.

-- BERNAMA