Jakarta. West Jakarta Police raided a home in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Friday, dismantling an operation allegedly tied to a Cambodian online gambling network.

Acting on a public tip-off, officers discovered the residence had been transformed into a base for recruiting locals to open bank accounts used for gambling transactions. Four people were initially arrested in the raid, with the alleged ringleader, identified as RS, 31, and three more suspects detained the following day.

According to Police Chief M. Syahduddi, RS paid around Rp 10 million ($635) per account, covering recruitment, mobile phone purchases, and other expenses. Operating since 2022, the syndicate reportedly gathered over 4,200 bank accounts, generating transactions worth Rp 21 billion ($1.34 million) daily. Officers seized evidence including 35 phones, 713 ATM cards, 370 passbooks, laptops, and financial records. The suspects now face up to 10 years in prison as authorities pursue additional charges against them.

The raid comes amid a nationwide crackdown on online gambling, following President Prabowo Subianto's directive to eliminate illegal betting platforms. High-profile arrests in recent weeks have included influencers, artists, and students accused of promoting gambling sites on social media.

In a separate case, Kendari City’s official website in Southeast Sulawesi was hacked and temporarily redirected visitors to a gambling site named "Slot Gacor Thailand." Kendari’s Head of Communications and Information, Nismawati, confirmed the incident, saying that their team is working to restore full functionality to the website by Nov. 10.

Additionally, Indonesian police arrested a 25-year-old identified as SK, accused of developing 35 gambling websites and evading authorities by frequently moving between Indonesia and the Philippines. SK allegedly used search engine optimization to boost site visibility, circumventing detection by the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization, which is actively blocking illegal gambling sites.

The crackdown has exposed a deeper network of corruption; Jakarta Police recently uncovered a syndicate involving 11 officials from the Communication and Digitalization Ministry. Raids in Bekasi led to the seizure of Rp 73 billio in cash and 16 vehicles. The officials are suspected of accepting bribes to keep gambling sites online.

Popular TikTok influencer Gunawan "Sadbor" from Sukabumi, West Java, is also under investigation for promoting online gambling. House Representative Denny Wahyudi from the PDIP faction was questioned for unknowingly promoting gambling sites, joining a list of 26 artists and influencers facing similar charges.

Additionally, the Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) reported that it has blocked 13,481 bank accounts suspected of facilitating illegal online gambling transactions. In the third quarter of 2024 alone, the financial crime watchdog froze approximately Rp 280 trillion ($17.77 billion) in these accounts.

Gambling is a crime under Indonesian law, punishable by up to six years’ imprisonment.

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