TLDR
- Police in North Sumatra and Central Java arrested 15 people in separate gambling cases.
- Five cashiers were detained in a Medan apartment tied to a Cambodia-linked online gambling site called Depo Bos.
- The Medan group’s manager, Wendi, is still being sought by police.
- Central Java police arrested 10 people in raids on togel lottery operations in Semarang, Demak, and Grobogan.
- Officers froze bank accounts holding a combined Rp2.46 billion linked to the Central Java cases.
Police in two Indonesian provinces have arrested 15 people in separate gambling operations. The cases took place in North Sumatra and Central Java.
In Medan, officers broke up an online gambling network with links to Cambodia. In Central Java, police raided illegal lottery operations in several locations and froze bank accounts holding a combined Rp2.46 billion.
Medan Apartment Linked to Cambodia Network
North Sumatra Police’s Cyber Crimes Investigation Directorate, known as Ressiber, raided unit 2220 of Grand Jati Junction Apartment. Five cashiers were detained in the raid.
Directorate head Senior Commissioner Bayu Wicaksono said the cashiers had worked in Cambodia before. They returned to Medan at the request of their manager, a man named Wendi.
The group set up an online gambling business called Depo Bos. Bayu said it started operating on 8 October, and police raided it on 12 October. He said the group recruited 30 players in about five days.
The cashiers, identified as HH, MRL, RHS, SH, and WAS, were paid Rp10 million (US$553) a month. They also received bonuses for meeting targets.
Their job was to check deposits and withdrawals on the website. They then sent the requests to an administrator.
Police seized 5 mobile phones, 3 laptops, and 3 ATM cards. Bayu said the cashiers had ties to operators based in Cambodia. Police are still searching for Wendi.
North Sumatra Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Ferry Walintukan said investigators are studying how the network was structured. They are also checking whether other people were involved.
The cashiers were charged under Article 426(1) of the 2023 Criminal Code. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 9 years.
This is not the first such case in the city. In March, Ressiber raided another Cambodia-linked group at the Royal Condominium in Medan. That operation had run for 2 years, and 19 suspects were detained, including 8 women.
Central Java Police Target Togel Lottery
Central Java Police chief Inspector-General Roy Hardi Siahaan, who was recently appointed, said officers raided togel operations on 9 and 10 October. The raids took place in Semarang, Demak, and Grobogan.
Togel is an illegal lottery that uses foreign lottery results. These include results from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney.
On the evening of 9 October, officers detained 5 people at a rental house on Jl Batan Miroto in Semarang. Their roles included selling and collecting coupons and acting as croupiers.
Police seized 43,250 coupons and Rp19.65 million (US$1,085) in cash. They also froze five bank accounts holding Rp1.94 billion that were suspected of being tied to the scheme.
In Demak, an early morning raid on 10 October led to 3 arrests. The suspects allegedly collected money from the public and from togel sellers. Officers seized 8,416 coupons and froze accounts holding Rp519.99 million.
In the Godong district of Grobogan, police arrested 2 alleged couriers. They were carrying togel coupons from the Demak operation to sellers in Grobogan in a Daihatsu Gran Max minivan.
Officers also seized 2 safe deposit boxes holding 421 stacks of coupons. Police said they traced transactions worth billions of rupiah.
The total frozen balance in Central Java reached Rp2.46 billion, not counting seized cash. Roy said the raids aimed to find the people working behind the scenes and that enforcement would continue without favouritism.
