JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities have detained 30 Malaysians suspected of running online scam activities from a hotel in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, allegedly targeting fellow Malaysians.
Pontianak Immigration Office chief Sam Fernando said the Malaysians, comprising 22 men and eight women, were detained along with a Taiwanese man at the hotel at about 11.15 am on Tuesday in a joint operation with Pontianak City Police following intelligence on suspicious activities involving foreigners.
Sam said the 31 foreign nationals had used 14 rooms in the hotel for their activities.
"The targets were most likely Malaysian nationals. They were allegedly attempting to defraud Malaysian nationals,” he told a press conference on Thursday, according to a video uploaded online.
Based on the information obtained so far, Sam said no Indonesians were among the targets.
Authorities took all 31 to the Pontianak Immigration Detention Centre for further questioning, and also seized several items linked to the suspected activities.
Sam said three Malaysian nationals were found to have overstayed, and there were also cases of misuse of stay permits for activities not in accordance with the purposes for which they were granted.
They also did not arrive together, with some entering through Pontianak airport, the Entikong land border crossing, and Jakarta using various types of immigration permits, he said.
"The length of time they have been here varies. Some have been here for two months, while others for three weeks,” he said.
Sam said his office would coordinate with relevant Malaysian authorities as investigations into the case continued. - Bernama
