Blitar. The Blitar Immigration Office in East Java has arrested two Pakistani nationals for forcibly soliciting donations for Palestine from Blitar residents.

Arief Yudistira, the head of the immigration office, said that the two Pakistanis, identified as MI, 45, and MA, 44, were holding visit permits issued at Juanda Airport Surabaya on Jan. 31, valid until March 25.

They were apprehended during an immigration monitoring operation codenamed "Operation Jagratara," aimed at minimizing immigration violations.

"After interrogation, MI and MA admitted that they had previously entered and stayed in Malaysia to collect donations. They then came to Indonesia, landing at Juanda Airport," said Arief during a press conference on Tuesday.

They then traveled to Bandar Lampung to collect donations. While in Indonesia, MI and MA continued their journey to Jakarta and obtained an extension of their stay permit issued by the Class I TPI East Jakarta Immigration Office, valid from March 25 to May 28.

"MI and MA then continued their journey to Malang, Pasuruan, Tulungagung, and Blitar with the same purpose, which was to collect donations. They claimed that the donations were not intended for Palestine but for Pakistan," Arief added.

He further explained that MI and MA admitted that the collected donation funds were also used for their daily expenses such as food, drink, hotel accommodation, motorcycle rental, vehicle fuel, train and bus ticket purchases, and extension fees for their visit permits.

"The presence of MI and MA caused anxiety and disturbance in the community. They were apprehended with several pieces of evidence, including donation record books from mosque caretakers and the public regarding donations given to MI and MA," he said.

During their donation collection activities, they managed to collect around Rp 263 million ($16,343). Authorities also seized approximately Rp 24 million in various currencies from them.

As of now, the two foreign nationals are still undergoing interrogation and have been detained at the Blitar Immigration Office.