Semarang Immigration Arrests Four Chinese Nationals in Online Scam Case

RRI.CO.ID, Semarang - The Semarang Immigration Office has arrested four Chinese nationals suspected of being members of an international online scam syndicate. The arrests took place at a residence located within the Puri Anjasmoro area in Semarang, Central Java.

Head of the Semarang Immigration Office, Ari Widodo, said on Sunday, June 7, 2026, that the raid, which occurred on Thursday, June 4, was the culmination of a two-week intelligence investigation.

"From the results of observations and in-depth field investigations, officers found indications of suspicious activity carried out by a number of foreign nationals in a house located in the Puri Eksekutif Housing Complex, West Semarang," Ari Widodo explained, as quoted by Antara.

The four Chinese nationals taken into custody have been identified by their initials as HJ (40), HK (44), HY (44), and TW (37). Alongside the foreign suspects, immigration officers apprehended two Indonesian citizens (WNI), identified as DS (26) and E (26), who were taken in for further questioning and interrogation regarding their involvement.

During the initial search of the property, authorities uncovered and confiscated a large quantity of electronic equipment allegedly used in the illegal operation. Officers seized a total of 604 mobile phones during the raid.

Next, in terms of computing hardware, the seized assets included over a dozen laptops and desktop computers. Finally, looking at network assets, investigators secured hundreds of active SIM cards from the scene.

Based on the preliminary investigation, immigration authorities revealed that the four Chinese nationals are allegedly part of a borderless, international online fraudulent network. The syndicate specialized in exploiting various digital communication platforms, specifically targeting communication apps such as DingTalk and DingDing to coordinate and execute their schemes.

Further analysis of their digital footprint indicated that the syndicate systematically targeted victims residing outside of Indonesia.

In addition to their suspected cybercriminal operations, the foreign nationals are also accused of visa abuse and violating the legal parameters of their stay permits. Consequently, the four suspects are being charged under Law No. 6/2011 concerning Immigration as authorities finalize their legal processing. ***