JAKARTA: An Australian man was arrested as he was about to leave Bali for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a foreign woman in a public space.
The man, 27, identified as BA, was arrested on Aug 25 at the international departure terminal of the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport just before he boarded the airplane heading for Brisbane, Australia.
BA allegedly had sexual intercourse with the foreign woman in the yard of a local resident’s house in Tibubeneng village, North Kuta district in Badung regency, on Aug 22. Their act was caught by the homeowner.
Ngurah Rai Immigration Office head Muhamad Novyandri said on Wednesday that the arrest was jointly made with Badung Police detectives following a viral CCTV footage that showed the two foreigners performing an indecent act in front of a house in Tibubeneng.
Based on the results of coordination efforts and facial identification from the footage, one of the suspected perpetrators was successfully identified as BA, an Australian national born in 1998 who held a valid Visa on Arrival (VOA).
Meanwhile, the identity of the foreign female national is still under investigation. Before the arrest, immigration placed BA on its Subject of Interest (SOI) list to monitor his movements should he pass through an immigration checkpoint.
Novyandri emphasised that the handling of the criminal aspects of this case falls entirely under the police’s jurisdiction.
“Immigration remains committed to supporting law enforcement efforts through the Subject of Interest status, which has proven effective in preventing BA from leaving the country,” he said.
“We will continue to work closely with the police to pursue the female suspect, monitor the legal proceedings, and remain prepared to impose immigration sanctions should any violations be proven,”
Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ariasandy said that BA is being interrogated by the police at Badung Police headquarters. BA has admitted his wrongdoing to the police.
“He admitted that he met a woman at one of the beach clubs in the area while they were intoxicated [drunk],” he said.
“The two then left the venue and engaged in indecent conduct in front of a resident’s house, where they were eventually caught by the homeowner.”
The police are also investigating another public sex act that was caught on CCTV in front of a local resident’s house in nearby Canggu village. The earlier incident involved a foreign man and two local women.
“Bali Police will not tolerate any form of violation of the law, particularly acts committed in public places that disturb and cause concern among the community,” Ariasandy said.
“We urge all tourists, both domestic and international, to respect the norms, customs, and laws applicable in Bali.”
However, Badung Police decided on Wednesday evening to hand over BA to the Immigration office for deportation.
“The owner of the house has stated that they do not wish to pursue this matter any further,” Badung Police Criminal Investigation Unit chief Adj. Comr. Azarul Ahmad said on Aug 27.
“Therefore, we recommended him to be deported.”
As of Thursday, BA was still detained by the immigration office while waiting to get an airline ticket. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
