Indonesia arrests 170 foreigners linked to investment scam

Indonesia arrests 170 foreigners linked to investment scam

2011-06-11 05:29:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian police on Friday arrested 170 foreign nationals allegedly linked to investment scams in their respective country, officials said.

The National Police's public information service chief Senior Commander Boy Rafli Amar told Antara news agency that 170 people from China and Taiwan were arrested on the request of foreign officials.

According to Amar, the suspects were involved in an increasing trend of scamming investors through the Internet in China. However, many of the culprits involved in these operations commonly work from other countries, making them transnational criminals.

The perpetrators - which would present themselves as companies offering investment-related services through the Internet - were arrested in Indonesia's Jakarta metropolitan area, including the suburbs of Serpong and Bekasi.

Amar said the 170 foreigners, of which 120 were men and 50 were women, were being processed to be deported to their home country, adding that they could also be facing further charges in Indonesia due to misuse of their visas.

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