TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metro Police arrested two new suspects in the case of online gambling involving employees of the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi). Director of General Crime Investigation Police Commissioner Wira Satya Triputra said the investigators seized Rp3.1 billion.

“Cash amounting to Rp300 million and money stored in the account of Rp2.8 billion,” said Wira in a press conference at Terminal 2F of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Sunday, November 10, 2024, as seen from a live broadcast on a private television station.

Previously, the Jakarta Metro Police had confiscated evidence, in the form of Rp73.7 billion. The police had also named 15 suspects, with 11 of them coming from Komdigi. Two fugitive suspects, identified as MN and A, were put on the wanted list (DPO)

The investigators successfully captured MN last Saturday. When arresting MN, the police also found another suspect with the initials DM who was also involved in online gambling.

“MN’s role is as a liaison between gambling dealers and other perpetrators or suspects that we are currently detaining,” said Wira.

Wira explained that MN was the one who deposited money and provided a list of online gambling sites to Komdigi employees to be protected from being blocked. Meanwhile, DM’s role was to assist MN, including storing the proceeds of the crime. “The suspects have been taken to Polda Metro Jaya for intensive interrogation,” he said.

Appointment of 15 suspects in abuse of authority

The Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya Police Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Ariandi stated that the police had appointed 15 suspects in the case of securing online gambling services. The suspects who were supposed to block online gambling sites to prevent access by the public in Indonesia, were actually protecting the sites and demanding payment from the site owners.

“So, they were tasked with blocking online gambling sites. They were given access to view online gambling websites and block them,” said Ade Ary at the search location, Bekasi, on Friday, November 1, 2024.

The suspects admitted to blocking online gambling sites every two weeks. If within two weeks the site owner did not deposit money to Adhi Kismanto, then the site would be blocked.

This group set a fee of Rp8.5 million per site as a security service to prevent blocking.

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