40 Chinese, Taiwanese nationals

arrested for cybercrimes in

Semarang
Suherdjoko

The Jakarta Post

Semarang / Mon, April 22, 2019 / 06:27 pm

Forty Chinese and Taiwanese citizens have been arrested in Semarang, Central Java, for
alleged cybercrimes involving fraud and extortion. (Shutterstock/-)

Twenty-eight Chinese citizens and 12 Taiwanese citizens have been arrested in

Semarang, Central Java, for alleged cybercrimes involving fraud and extortion.
The 40 suspects were detained after an immigration raid at their housing complex
in Semarang last Thursday.

Sr. Comr. Mochammad Hendra Suhartiyono, head of the Central Java Police's
criminal investigation department, said the foreign nationals had carried out
transnational crimes.

"Their victims were people in Taiwan and China," Hendra said on Monday. "They
would claim they were police or court officers. They would call from Semarang,
but because of the equipment and technology that they used, their [phone
numbers] would look like local phone numbers."

He said the victims were told by the suspects that they were in legal trouble and
that they needed to transfer money to the suspects.

Hendra added that because of the transnational nature of the crimes, the
suspects would be handed over to Interpol.

Semarang Police chief Sr. Comr. Abioso Seno Aji said 11 of the Taiwanese
citizens were wanted by the Taiwan branch of Interpol.

Meanwhile, Central Java Law and Human Rights Ministry office head Sutrisman
said there was no connection between the alleged crimes and the 2019 elections.

A similar case occurred in 2017, when five Chinese citizens were arrested for
crimes that used the same modus operandi. (kmt)

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/04/22/40-chinese-taiwanese-nationals-arrested-for-
cybercrimes-in-semarang.html