Bogor. A 25-year-old high school graduate specializing in engineering was arrested in Bogor, a suburb of Jakarta, on Friday for allegedly building 35 gambling websites and evading detection by frequently moving between Indonesia and the Philippines.

The suspect, identified only by the initials SK, reportedly used search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to help his clients promote the gambling websites and manipulated systems to avoid detection by the Communication and Digitalization Ministry, which has been working to shut down all illegal gambling platforms in Indonesia, police said.

Bogor Metropolitan Police Chief Bismo Teguh Prakoso said the suspect was arrested at Yasmin Park in the city.

“SK is a graduate of a vocational high school specializing in weak current engineering, which equipped him with advanced computing skills,” Bismo explained.

The officer noted that SK had been operating for the past three years, creating at least 35 gambling websites. “He earned a salary of Rp 25 million per month,” Bismo added, without revealing the identities of his employers. “He frequently traveled between Indonesia and the Philippines until his arrest.”

Police confiscated several items from SK, including computers and mobile phones.

The arrest comes amid an intensified crackdown on online gambling, following a directive from President Prabowo Subianto.

Just last weekend, Jakarta Police uncovered a major gambling syndicate that involved at least 11 officials from the Communication and Digitalization Ministry. The raid, which took place at a shop in Bekasi, led to the seizure of banknotes in various currencies totaling Rp 73 billion ($4.7 million), as well as 16 cars. The government employees allegedly misused their authority to manage and take down gambling websites, allowing at least 1,000 sites to continue operating in exchange for bribes.

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