2 Singaporeans among 17 arrested in Bali over unlicensed moneylending operation

Bali authorities said on Monday (Oct 26) that they arrested two Singaporeans and 15 Malaysians who are suspected of running an online unlicensed moneylending operation there.

The 17 suspects were nabbed at a villa in tourist hotspot North Kuta during a raid conducted by the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office on Oct 22.

"Based on initial investigations, all those detained were found carrying out moneylending activities, both in person and online, at the raided location, which served as their operational headquarters," said Ngurah Rai immigration chief Muhamad Novyandri.

The syndicate promoted their services on Facebook before directing potential clients to contact them via WhatsApp, Kompas reported.

They collected personal information from those seeking loans, including their employment details, payslips and next-of-kin contact numbers.

The syndicate's main targets were foreign nationals, and the immigration department has not found any indication that Indonesian citizens were offered loans, Novyandri said.

Investigations showed that three of the suspects acted as managers of the illegal operation, while the rest served as administrators.

All 17 suspects are being detained over violations of residency permits as well as providing false information to obtain visas and stay permits.

"We do not discriminate in taking action against foreign nationals who abuse their tourist visas to work illegally," Novyandri said.

Meanwhile, the Bali Regional Immigration Office said it would continue intensive surveillance of illicit activities involving foreign nationals in Bali.

"We fully support tourism in Bali, but we will not tolerate foreign nationals who abuse stay permits, violate laws, or damage Bali's tourism reputation," it said.

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com

巴厘岛当局周一（10月26日）表示，他们逮捕了两名新加坡人和15名马来西亚人，这些人涉嫌在当地经营无牌网上放贷业务。

10 月 22 日，伍拉·赖移民局在旅游热点地区北库塔的一栋别墅进行突击搜查时，抓获了 17 名嫌疑人。

“根据初步调查，所有被拘留者都在被突袭的地点从事放贷活动，包括线下和线上放贷，该地点是他们的行动总部，”伍拉·赖移民局局长穆罕默德·诺维安德里说。

据《罗盘报》报道，该犯罪团伙先在 Facebook 上宣传他们的服务，然后引导潜在客户通过 WhatsApp 与他们联系。

他们收集了贷款申请人的个人信息，包括就业详情、工资单和近亲联系电话。

诺维安德里表示，该犯罪集团的主要目标是外国公民，移民部门没有发现任何迹象表明印尼公民曾被提供贷款。

调查显示，三名嫌疑人担任非法活动的管理者，其余嫌疑人担任管理者。

所有 17 名嫌疑人均因违反居留许可规定以及提供虚假信息以获取签证和居留许可而被拘留。

“对于滥用旅游签证非法工作的外国公民，我们不会区别对待，”诺维安德里说。

与此同时，巴厘岛地区移民局表示，将继续对涉及外国公民在巴厘岛的非法活动进行严密监控。

“我们全力支持巴厘岛的旅游业，但我们绝不容忍外国公民滥用居留许可、违反法律或损害巴厘岛的旅游声誉，”声明中写道。

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com