Indonesian authorities have arrested 321 foreign nationals during a large-scale raid on an alleged online gambling operation in the capital region, targeting what investigators described as a major transnational cybercrime network.
The suspects—mostly from Vietnam—were picked up at a commercial building near Jakarta’s Chinatown area, which police said was being used as a command centre for dozens of illegal gambling websites targeting users outside Indonesia.
According to officials, the group included 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese citizens, while others came from Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Wira Satya Triputra, director of general crimes at the Indonesian National Police, said the operation was well-organised and structured.
“We arrested the suspects in the act while they were carrying out activities related to online gambling,” Triputra told a news conference on Saturday.
He explained that the syndicate operated with clearly assigned roles, including customer service, telemarketing, and financial management, and had reportedly been running for about two months.
Police believe the group managed at least 75 online betting platforms and collected financial data, computers, phones, and passports during the raid.
Triputra also noted that many of the arrested individuals may have violated immigration laws.
“Immigration violations were uncovered in addition to suspected gambling and money-laundering offenses,” he said, adding that many suspects entered Indonesia on short-term visas and overstayed while working with the network.
As of Saturday, 275 of those detained had been formally named as suspects, while investigations into others are still ongoing. Those charged could face up to nine years in prison and fines of up to 2 billion rupiah ($116,000) under Indonesian law.
Authorities say the crackdown is part of a wider effort to dismantle shifting international gambling syndicates that relocate frequently to avoid detection.
Untung Widyatmoko, secretary of Indonesia’s Interpol bureau, said similar operations have recently been uncovered in other cities.
He warned that criminal networks are adapting to enforcement pressure in other countries.
“After enforcement measures in Cambodia, we started to see a shift toward Indonesia, and that was something we anticipated,” Widyatmoko said.
Indonesia has recently intensified operations against online gambling, scam networks, and cyber fraud, with several related arrests reported in Batam, Surabaya, Bali, and West Java. Police say further arrests linked to international syndicates remain possible as investigations continue.
