September 20, 2026 | 11:56 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's immigration authorities detained 13 foreign nationals over suspected prostitution activities during a joint operation in three popular tourist areas of Bali, immigration officials said.
Muhamad Novyandri, head of Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, said the joint operation was conducted in Canggu, Seminyak, and Umalas on Thursday night, September 17, 2026.
"In Canggu, officers detained a Russian woman and a Ukrainian man suspected of facilitating the prostitution services," he said in a statement received on Friday.
The Russian woman, identified by the initials IP, was detained at a villa in Canggu for allegedly misusing her residence permit to work as a sex worker booked through WhatsApp.
Further investigation led officers to an apartment occupied by the Ukrainian man, identified by the initials OG.
OG, who held an investor limited-stay permit, was detained for allegedly facilitating the prostitution activities.
Immigration authorities said OG's residence permit had expired on October 14, 2025, while IP's remote-worker permit remains valid until November 8, 2026.
In Seminyak, officers traced an online platform allegedly used to promote prostitution services before conducting surveillance at a villa on Jalan Bidadari.
They then detained three Nigerian women holding internship-program visit permits that had expired.
The three women had overstayed their permits by 58, 94, and 134 days, respectively.
In Umalas, officers followed leads from Telegram and conducted surveillance at a villa.
They detained four women, including three Russian nationals and one Kazakh national.
Officers later detained four Nigerian women in the same area for allegedly misusing their residence permits in a similar manner.
The operation resulted in 13 foreign nationals being detained, comprising 12 women and one man.
Novyandri said the joint operation followed initial information from the public, which officers subsequently investigated through field operations.
Officers gathered information, used undercover methods, and verified findings through several online platforms.
"The 13 foreign nationals are currently undergoing further questioning at the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office," he said.
Novyandri said the 13 nationals were suspected of violating Article 75 of Indonesia's 2011 Immigration Law and potentially committing other criminal offenses.
"They face deportation and a five-year ban from entering Indonesia, as well as possible criminal proceedings under applicable laws," he said.
Ramdhani, head of Bali's Immigration Directorate General regional office, said the action was part of efforts to monitor foreign nationals' presence and activities in Bali.
"We fully support Bali's tourism industry, but we will not allow foreign nationals to misuse residence permits, break the law or damage Bali's tourism image," he said.
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