Government Successfully Dismantles China-Cambodia Linked Online Gambling Syndicate, Dozens of Perpetrators Arrested
Jakarta – Authorities have once again demonstrated a strong commitment to eradicating online gambling practices that are troubling communities. The Directorate of General Crimes (Dittipidum) at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) successfully raided an online gambling syndicate connected to international networks based in China and Cambodia, which had been operating across various regions in Indonesia.
In a coordinated operation carried out by the Sub-Directorate III of Jatanras, police arrested 22 suspects believed to be part of the syndicate.
Brigadier General Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro, Director of General Crimes at Bareskrim Polri, explained that the raids were conducted at three main locations: the Cibubur Country residential complex in Bogor, two houses in Jatirahayu, Bekasi, and the Villa Tangerang Regensi Baru residential area in Banten.
“The online gambling websites controlled by the suspects used servers located in China and Cambodia. Their domain names in Indonesia were Akasia899 and Tanjung899,” stated Djuhandhani.
In their operations, the perpetrators were responsible for spreading promotions and advertisements for online gambling to the public. To facilitate their activities, the syndicate used pre-registered SIM cards to activate WhatsApp accounts.
“At least 2,648 mobile phone numbers were used to randomly send out online gambling advertisements via WhatsApp broadcasts. Each syndicate could even create up to 500 WhatsApp accounts per day,” Djuhandhani revealed.
Furthermore, communication between the perpetrators in Indonesia and the main network in China and Cambodia was conducted through Telegram and WhatsApp groups, where they shared mobile phone number data and daily revenue reports from their gambling activities. The illicit proceeds were then laundered through bank accounts under nominees’ names and transacted using cryptocurrencies, which were later converted to cash through various payment gateways.
“The perpetrators disguised the money flow as if it came from the sale of goods. Their profits reached hundreds of billions of rupiah in just one year,” he explained.
Meanwhile, similar success was achieved by the Bali Regional Police, which managed to dismantle a syndicate specializing in collecting personal data for international online gambling operations.
Director of Special Criminal Investigations at Bali Police, Commissioner Ranefli Dian Candra, revealed that the syndicate, controlled by a suspect named Constantin and five accomplices, had been operating since September 2024.
“They collected victims’ personal data to send to Cambodia, where it was used for online gambling by networks operating there,” Ranefli said.
According to Ranefli, the perpetrators targeted low-income individuals, such as online motorcycle taxi drivers and shopkeepers, to open bank accounts that would later be used by the syndicate.
“Hundreds of bank accounts have already been sent to Cambodia, and this syndicate has earned hundreds of millions of rupiah from these illegal activities,” he added.
The success of law enforcement in dismantling this cross-border online gambling network highlights the government’s determination and seriousness in protecting the public from the harmful impacts of digital crimes.
The government continues to promote inter-agency collaboration—including the police, Financial Services Authority (OJK), Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Technology (Kemkomdigi)—to strengthen oversight of illegal financial activities and safeguard the integrity of the national digital space.
