Police arrest major gambling boss and extortion suspect in Indonesia

Indonesian authorities have arrested several individuals involved in major criminal activities in Central Java and the Riau Islands.

In Semarang, Central Java, police arrested a 69-year-old man identified as HGP, described by Central Java Police Chief Inspector General Roy Hardi Siahaan as the ‘big boss’ controlling illegal lottery (togel) operations. HGP and four accomplices were apprehended in a rented house in Semarang Tengah. The gambling syndicate, which allegedly sold coupons for Singapore, Sydney, and Hong Kong markets, had been operating since 2014.

Separately, in Batam, Riau Islands, the Riau Islands Regional Police and the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) arrested a man identified as YK for extortion. The suspect allegedly threatened an entrepreneur with negative news coverage regarding a government project to demand money. The victim had reportedly transferred a total of Rp9 million to the suspect before the arrest.