Pontianak. Indonesian immigration authorities and police have detained 31 Malaysian and Taiwanese nationals at a hotel in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, over suspected immigration violations and possible involvement in online scams targeting foreigners, an official said Friday.

The group was detained on Sept. 8 in a joint operation by immigration officers and police following intelligence information about their activities.

“Immigration officers examined their identities and nationalities, travel documents, the types and validity periods of their stay permits, and whether their activities were consistent with those permits,” Pontianak Immigration Office chief Sam Fernando said in a statement.

Initial immigration checks found that three Malaysian nationals had overstayed and engaged in activities inconsistent with their stay permits, Sam said.

Authorities are continuing to examine the immigration status and activities of the other foreign nationals.

Investigators also suspect members of the group may have been involved in online scams targeting people outside Indonesia, although authorities have yet to establish the alleged scheme or disclose evidence of specific offenses.

“We are still investigating the method, but our preliminary suspicion is that they were attempting to commit fraud and that their intended victims were also foreign nationals,” Sam said.

Immigration authorities have not provided further details about how the suspected scams allegedly operated.

Officers are continuing to investigate the group's activities while in Pontianak, including the suspected fraud and the identities and locations of any intended victims.

Authorities have not yet announced criminal charges in connection with the suspected online scams.

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