Indonesian Man Arrested in Bali after Interpol Red Notice for Human Trafficking in Cambodia
An Indonesian national, Rifaldo Aquino Pontoh, has been arrested in Bali after being placed on Interpol’s most-wanted list. Rifaldo is a suspect in a human trafficking case (TPPO) in Cambodia being pursued by the Metro Jaya Police’s Criminal Investigation Directorate.
According to Brigadier General Iman Imanuddin, head of the Metro Jaya Police’s Criminal Investigation Directorate, the investigation began with an inquiry into online scamming. However, during the course of the investigation, strong evidence emerged that Rifaldo Aquino was involved in a human trafficking network operating in Cambodia.
“We initially handled the scamming case, which then expanded into several suspected human trafficking offences,” Brigadier General Iman told reporters on Thursday (12 March 2026).
In this criminal scheme, victims were sent abroad not for legitimate employment but were allegedly exploited to work as operators in scamming operations across Cambodia. “Where victims were exploited to work as operators in one location abroad,” he stated.
After the Criminal Investigation Directorate formally named Rifaldo Aquino as a suspect, investigators discovered he had fled the country. The Metro Jaya Police submitted an extradition request through the Police’s International Relations Division. Interpol subsequently issued a red notice for Rifaldo Aquino.
On Friday (20 February), Indonesia’s Interpol National Central Bureau received information from the Manila NCB that Rifaldo had been tracked moving from Cambodia towards the Philippines. Rifaldo was detected re-entering Indonesia through Denpasar, Bali, and was ultimately arrested by a joint team from the International Relations Division and Metro Jaya Police.
“Subsequently, one of the fugitives we had requested a red notice for was indicated to be en route to Indonesia. At that point we worked with the International Relations Division to conduct the arrest and detention,” Imanuddin explained.
Rifaldo was transported to Metro Jaya Police headquarters and is currently held in police custody.
Brigadier General Ricky Purnama, head of the International Affairs Section at Indonesia’s Interpol National Central Bureau, stated that the arrest was carried out on Saturday (21 February) by a joint team including personnel from the Interpol NCB Indonesia Secretariat, the Metro Jaya Police’s Criminal Investigation Directorate, and I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Police, together with Immigration officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
Brigadier General Ricky revealed that Rifaldo Aquino is a member of an international human trafficking network involved in online fraud operations in Cambodia. He exploited social media by advertising job vacancies promising high salaries.
“However, in reality victims suffered severe violence, including passport confiscation, unpaid wages, and coercive conditions that forced victims to pay extremely high fees to resign or return to Indonesia,” Brigadier General Ricky stated on Saturday (21 February).
Rifaldo’s arrest was made possible through cooperation between the Police’s International Relations Division and Interpol. Previously, on Friday (20 February), Indonesia’s Interpol National Central Bureau received intelligence from the Manila NCB that Rifaldo had been tracked travelling from Cambodia towards the Philippines. From the Philippines, Rifaldo subsequently continued his journey to Bali. This information was acted upon and the team rapidly moved to Bali and arrested the suspect.