Batam. Indonesian immigration authorities and police have detained “hundreds of foreign nationals” during a large-scale operation at an apartment complex in Batam on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Wahyu Eka Putra, head of the Batam Immigration Office, said the exact number of detainees and their nationalities could not yet be disclosed pending completion of the initial investigation, though he confirmed the figure was in the hundreds.

“The numbers are still being counted -- there are hundreds, but we do not yet have an official total,” Wahyu told reporters in Batam, Riau Islands province.

The operation was carried out at Baloi View Apartment, and all foreign nationals detained have been transferred to the Batam Immigration Office for further questioning.

Wahyu said the raid stemmed from the development of a previous case as well as reports submitted by members of the public.

Authorities are still investigating the alleged illegal activities linked to the foreign nationals and have not released further details. However, Wahyu indicated that some cases show signs of involvement in online scam operations.

“There are indications pointing to scamming activities, but this still needs to be investigated further,” he said.

He added that the case is being handled through coordination among multiple agencies, including the police.

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