Indonesian police arrest 15 in online gambling and togel raids, freezing accounts worth Rp2.46 billion

Police in two Indonesian provinces have arrested 15 people in separate gambling operations, according to a report citing The Star. The cases involve a Cambodia-linked online gambling network in Medan, North Sumatra, and illegal lottery activity across several locations in Central Java.

In Medan, the North Sumatra Police Cyber Crimes Investigation Directorate, known as Ressiber, raided an apartment unit at Grand Jati Junction. Directorate head Senior Commissioner Bayu Wicaksono said five cashiers had previously worked in Cambodia and returned to Medan at the request of their manager, identified as Wendi. They launched an online gambling business called Depo Bos on 8 October, and police raided the premises on 12 October. Bayu said the group recruited 30 players over about five days of operation.

The cashiers, identified by initials, received a monthly salary of Rp10 million (US$553) plus target-based bonuses. They checked deposits and withdrawals through the website interface before passing requests on to an administrator. Officers confiscated five mobile phones, three laptops and three ATM cards. Wendi remains at large. The cashiers were charged under Article 426(1) of the 2023 Criminal Code, which carries a maximum prison term of nine years, and investigators are examining the network's structure. Police recalled that in March, Ressiber raided another Cambodia-linked syndicate at the Royal Condominium in Medan, detaining 19 suspects after two years of activity.

In Central Java, newly appointed police chief Inspector-General Roy Hardi Siahaan said officers raided togel operations on 9 and 10 October in Semarang, Demak and Grobogan. Togel relies on foreign lottery results, including those from Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney. In Semarang, five people were detained at a rental house, and police seized 43,250 coupons and Rp19.65 million in cash. Five bank accounts holding Rp1.94 billion were frozen.

In Demak, three people who collected money from the public and from togel retailers were arrested, with 8,416 coupons seized and accounts holding Rp519.99 million frozen. In Grobogan's Godong district, two couriers were stopped while transporting coupons from Demak in a minivan, and officers recovered two safe deposit boxes containing 421 stacks of coupons. The combined frozen balance in the Central Java cases reached Rp2.46 billion, excluding seized cash. Roy said enforcement would proceed without favouritism and aims to identify those behind the operations.