Fake Flight Tickets Uncover International Online Gambling Network in Tangerang

RRI.CO.ID, Tangerang - Tangerang Immigration authorities have detained five foreign nationals suspected of operating an international online gambling network and using falsified airline tickets for return travel.

The group includes two Chinese citizens, WH and ZL, and three Vietnamese nationals, LPT, DVD, and DIH. Two additional suspects were later apprehended at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Banten Immigration Office Head Barron Ichsan said the case began when officers noticed suspicious activity as the foreigners attempted to process exit documents.

“Airport immigration officers found the tickets belonged to other individuals whose names had been altered,” he said on Thursday, September 10, 2026.

A search of their apartment in Kelapa Dua, Tangerang, uncovered a computer, a laptop, and 20 mobile phones. “We suspect they acted as operators of an international online gambling network with most customers in Vietnam," Baron said.

Head of the Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement (Inteldakim) Division of the Tangerang Immigration Office, Bong Bong Prakoso Napitupulu, said that the suspects had applied for Visa on Arrival extensions online.

“Examination showed they had been in Indonesia for a month and were strongly suspected of engaging in online gambling through gaming platforms,” he said.

Evidence of transactions in Vietnamese Dong was found. “The two Chinese nationals served as system administrators, while the three Vietnamese suspects used their accounts to receive withdrawals from gambling sites in Vietnam," Bong explained.

The suspects admitted working under the direction of a Chinese national identified only as “B", communicating via Telegram. The Vietnamese nationals said they were paid 20 million Dong (Rp13.5 million) per month, while the Chinese coordinators claimed they had not yet profited.

Authorities also identified seven other foreign nationals linked to the operation, two of whom were arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

The detainees are accused of violating Articles 122(a) and 123(a) of Law No. 6/2011 on Immigration, which carry penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to IDR 200 million. (Diva Rifdah)