Police Arrest 320 Foreign Nationals in Online Gambling Syndicate in Hayam Wuruk, Mostly Vietnamese Citizens
The Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri) has arrested 320 foreign nationals (WNA) and one Indonesian national in connection with international online gambling crimes. The arrests took place in the Hayam Wuruk office area in Jakarta.
Director of General Criminal Offences at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Wira Satya Triputra, stated that the arrests were a follow-up to a lengthy series of investigations based on information from the public.
“From the results of the investigation, we discovered allegations of organised gambling activities involving foreign nationals from various countries,” said Brig Gen Wira during a press conference in Jakarta yesterday.
He explained that the arrests of the foreign nationals were carried out on Thursday (7/5/2026). Currently, examinations of the arrested perpetrators are still ongoing.
Wira noted that the perpetrators were caught red-handed while conducting operational activities related to online gambling.
In detail, the arrested individuals include 57 Chinese nationals, 228 Vietnamese nationals, 11 Laotian nationals, 13 Myanmar nationals, three Malaysian nationals each, three Cambodian nationals, and five Thai nationals.
He revealed that the foreign nationals had various roles in the online gambling crimes, which they used as a livelihood. “This is done in a structured manner, utilising electronic facilities and organised cross-border digital operational patterns,” he said.
From the enforcement operation, Wira emphasised that authorities have secured various types of evidence, including safes, passports, mobile phones, laptops, computers, and cash in foreign currencies from various countries.
Additionally, he said that from the investigators’ examinations, they have found approximately 75 internet domains and official websites or pages suspected of being used for online gambling.
He mentioned that the internet domains and websites used combinations of specific characters and gambling label variables to avoid blocking.
For their actions, Wira stated that the online gambling perpetrators are charged under Article 426 and/or Article 607 in conjunction with Article 20 and/or Article 21 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code and Law No. 1 of 2026 on Criminal Adjustment.