KUALA LUMPUR: Fifteen Malaysians and two Singaporeans have been detained in Bali, Indonesia, on suspicion of running an online unlicensed moneylending operation.
All 17 suspects were arrested in Dalung, North Kuta, Badung, Bali, during an operation conducted by the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office on Thursday.
Ngurah Rai immigration chief Muhamad Novyandri said the suspects were detained after they were found engaging in activities that violated the conditions of their tourist visas.
"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.
"We do not discriminate in taking action against foreign nationals who abuse their tourist visas to work illegally," he was quoted as saying by Indonesian news portal Kompas.com.
He said checks revealed that three of the suspects acted as managers, while the rest served as administrators for the online lending syndicate.
"The suspects promoted loan offers through social media platforms such as Facebook and various WhatsApp contact numbers.
"They also collected employment details, payslips, next-of-kin information, and other personal data before approving loans.
"Their targets were foreigners, and so far the immigration department has found no indication that loans were offered to Indonesian citizens," he said.
All suspects are being held under administrative immigration measures for suspected violations of residency permits and for providing false information to obtain visas and stay permits.
Meanwhile, Bali Regional Immigration Office head General Ramdhani said surveillance of illicit activities involving foreign nationals in Bali would continue intensively.
"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.
"Residents are reminded not to hesitate to report suspicious activities by foreigners in their areas," he said.
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