Ponorogo, East Java. What began as a plan to marry an Indonesian woman ended in legal trouble for a Malaysian national, who was detained by immigration authorities over visa violations and falsified documents.

Mohamad Zukri, 56, was arrested by the Ponorogo Immigration Office after it was discovered that he had overstayed his permit for years and was attempting to marry a woman in Pacitan while still legally married to his first Indonesian wife.

Zukri first entered Indonesia in 2014 and married a woman in Salatiga, Central Java. However, he never formally divorced her. When he later planned to remarry in Pacitan, authorities found the move pointed toward unlawful polygamy.

The case came to light after the local Religious Affairs Office (KUA) in Pacitan flagged irregularities in his documents.

“The report indicated that his passport was no longer valid, which constitutes a criminal violation under Article 119 of the Immigration Law,” Ponorogo Immigration Office head Anggoro Widy Utomo said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Further investigation revealed this was not his first offense. In 2014, Zukri had already overstayed his visa by 56 days and was deported to Malaysia. He later re-entered Indonesia and has been overstaying again since 2018.

Authorities said the repeated violations could carry serious penalties, including up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp 500 million ($29,300).

“We must also protect Indonesian citizens from being misled by foreign nationals who try to use marriage as a way to extend their stay,” Anggoro said.

In addition to overstaying, Zukri is also accused of falsifying his marital status. In documents submitted for the planned marriage, he claimed to be a widower, despite still being legally married.

“Foreign nationals who intend to marry Indonesian citizens must provide official documentation of their marital status — whether single or widowed. He falsified that document,” Anggoro said.