Inp.polri.go.id - Tangerang. The Indonesian National Police (INP) Division of International relations repatriated 35 Indonesian citizens, who were deported  from Manila, the Philippines due to their involvment in an online gambling operaton.

"The 35 WNI repatriated from the Philippines consist of eight women and 27 men," said the INP Head of International Relations Division, Inspector General Krishna Murti, at the  Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten early on Wednesday morning (23/10/2024).

The repatriation is part of the ongoing cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines, following a raid on an online gambling operation in Cebu, Philippines, on 31 August  2024, which identified 69 Indonesians involved.

The repatriation is being carried out in phases, with 35 Indonesians returned in the first phase, and 32 others scheduled to return between 22 and 23 October 2024. Some of the Indonesians will be flown to Jakarta, Medan, and Manado.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that these repatriated Indonesians are not victims of human trafficking but were deported due to their involvement in cyber scamming operations in the Philippines. 

"They were aware of their activities from the beginning and were knowingly involved in online scamming and illegal gambling," said Judha Nugraha, the Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He further revealed that from 2020 to the first half of 2024, a total of 4,730 Indonesian citizens were involved in online scamming activities across eight countries, with the highest numbers found in Cambodia and the Philippines. 

(mg/inp/pr/nm)