2 Singaporeans among 17 foreigners arrested in Bali over unlicensed moneylending operation

Bali authorities said on Monday (Oct 26) that they arrested two Singaporeans and 15 Malaysians who are suspected of running an online unlicensed moneylending operation there.

The 17 suspects were nabbed at a villa in tourist hotspot North Kuta during a raid conducted by the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office on Oct 22.

"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," said Ngurah Rai immigration chief Muhamad Novyandri.

The syndicate promoted their services on Facebook before directing potential clients to contact them via WhatsApp, Kompas reported.

They collected personal information from those seeking loans, including their employment details, payslips and next-of-kin contact numbers.

The syndicate's main targets were foreign nationals, and the immigration department has not found any indication that Indonesian citizens were offered loans, Novyandri said.

Investigations showed that three of the suspects acted as managers of the illegal operation, while the rest served as administrators.

All 17 suspects are being detained over violations of residency permits as well as providing false information to obtain visas and stay permits.

"We do not discriminate in taking action against foreign nationals who abuse their tourist visas to work illegally," Novyandri said.

Meanwhile, the Bali Regional Immigration Office said it would continue intensive surveillance of illicit activities involving foreign nationals in Bali.

"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," it said.

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