Jakarta. The Indonesian Police on Saturday arrested 321 foreign nationals in a major crackdown on an alleged online gambling operation based in a West Jakarta office building.

The suspects included 57 Chinese nationals, 228 Vietnamese nationals, 11 Laotians, 13 Myanmar nationals, three Malaysians, five Thais, and three Cambodians, according to Brigadier General Wira Satya Triputra, director of general crimes at the National Criminal Investigation Agency.

Wira said preliminary investigations showed the illegal gambling activities had been operating for around two months from the Hayam Wuruk Plaza Tower in Jakarta.

The suspects allegedly played different roles in running the gambling website. While staying at various accommodations around Hayam Wuruk, they reportedly traveled to the office building specifically to operate the online gambling platform.

Police seized electronic devices and digital operational systems believed to have been used to manage servers and facilitate cross-border gambling transactions.

“The upper floors of the building were used purely for online gambling activities,” Wira told reporters. “The suspects were arrested while operating the online gambling platform.”

He said the case was uncovered through a joint investigation involving police and the Immigration and Corrections Ministry after authorities received reports of suspicious activities involving large numbers of foreign nationals at the office complex.

Preliminary findings indicated the operation relied on sophisticated digital systems and modern electronic infrastructure, with suspected links to an international network using Indonesia as one of its operational hubs.

Authorities confiscated safes, passports belonging to the suspects, mobile phones, laptops, desktop computers, and cash in various foreign currencies.

Investigators are now examining the role of each suspect, including possible sponsors, key operators, and overseas networks believed to control the gambling operation from abroad, Wira said.

Police are also investigating potential additional offenses related to immigration violations, money laundering, and transnational cybercrime.

The case highlighted how international digital gambling syndicates exploit office buildings in densely populated urban areas to conceal illegal operations.

Urban centers such as West Jakarta are often viewed as strategic locations for international cybercrime networks because of their reliable internet infrastructure and abundance of high-rise office buildings that allow illegal activities to blend into the city environment.

The practice of using office buildings solely as operational centers, rather than living quarters, is also considered a common tactic to avoid drawing suspicion from local residents and law enforcement authorities.