Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 foreigners after a raid on a villa on the resort island of Bali, officials said on Thursday.
Those arrested, who included Taiwanese, Chinese and Malaysians, were charged with misuse of visas and residence permits, in addition to possible cybercrimes.
Immigration authorities said they raided a villa in Kukuh village in Tabanan district on Wednesday and detained 91 men and 12 women. Computers and cellphones were also confiscated, they said.
“They are suspected of being undocumented and misusing immigration permits. The possibility of cybercrime is currently being investigated based on the variety of computers and mobile phones found on the scene,” Silmy Karim, director general of immigration, said in an announcement on Thursday.
Authorities have circulated photos showing dozens of detainees lying on their stomachs next to a swimming pool and a three-story villa. All are currently being held at a jail in Denpasar, Bali, officials said.
Authorities said they were investigating the group’s links to international syndicates.
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration plans to conduct one other joint operation to observe foreigners in Bali. Its purpose is to be certain that foreigners stay on the island in accordance with the regulations and to keep up order and security.
The raid got here after greater than 40 Indonesian agencies, including the ministry that oversees immigration, were hit by a cyberattack on national data centers, an official said Wednesday.
The latest cyberattack, the worst the country has experienced in recent times, disrupted immigration services and affected the operation of major Indonesian airports for days.
Forty-four government agencies, including key ministries, were targeted within the ransomware attack, said Usman Kansong, an official on the Ministry of Communications.
Indonesia’s Communications Ministry announced earlier this week that the attacker used malware called LockBit 3.0 and demanded an $8 million ransom, which the federal government refused.
The LockBit cybercrime group is understood for using ransomware to digitally extort ransom from its victims.
