inp.polri.go.id - Tangerang. The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Sub-regional Police, have uncovered a syndicate attempting to send prospective Indonesian migrant workers (CPMI) illegally, using the guise of tourist travel to Japan.
In the raid, police arrested two suspects, identified as ANS (49) and MVR (31). Both are suspected of involvement in an attempt to send three prospective migrant workers abroad illegally.
"We thwarted the departure of three prospective migrant workers who were about to depart for Japan before continuing their journey to Jeju, South Korea," explained Police Assistant Superintendent Mohammad Esha, Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police, in Tangerang, Thursday (9/24/2026).
The case came to light after officers received information from the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Service Center (BP3MI) on Saturday, July 25, 2026, regarding the presence of three prospective migrant workers at Terminal 3 International Departures at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
The three victims, identified as VI and KAS, are a married couple, and MGR.
"They were promised work in the plantation sector in Jeju, South Korea, with the promise of a lucrative salary of between IDR 20 million and IDR 25 million per month," he explained.
Investigations revealed that the perpetrators allegedly arranged a cross-country trip to deceive officials. The victims were directed to pretend they were on a tourist trip before heading to their actual destination.
"The victims departed from Jakarta to Fuzhou, China, on Xiamen Air, then continued on to Tokyo, Japan. However, this route was merely a cover, as their final destination was South Korea," he said.
To make their scheme more convincing, the syndicate prepared travel documents to four countries: China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. The victims were also provided with hotel and apartment reservations abroad to appear as tourists.
"Their modus operandi was to offer plantation work on tourist visas, or as if they were on a holiday," he said.
Each Indonesian migrant worker was asked to pay IDR 90 million to the perpetrators as travel expenses.
"The breakdown consists of IDR 75 million for operational costs and IDR 15 million for visa processing," he said.
From this practice, the suspects allegedly earned tens of millions of rupiah in profits. Suspect ANS reportedly pocketed around IDR 37.5 million, while MVR earned between Rp 18 million and Rp 24 million.
In addition to the two suspects already in custody, investigators are still hunting another suspect, identified as TBA. He is suspected of benefiting from the syndicate, amounting to IDR 15 million and IDR 27 million.
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