Indonesia arrests Chinese national sought for laundering US$18M from gambling group

INDONESIA: Indonesian authorities have arrested Yan Zhenxing, a Chinese national sought by Beijing for allegedly laundering 130 million yuan (approximately US$18 million) from a criminal online gambling operation.

Yan’s arrest was confirmed by officials on 5 December 2024.

Yan was detained on 2 December by immigration officers at the Batam cross-border ferry terminal.

According to Yuldi Yusman, Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement, Yan attempted to board the Majestic Ship en route to Singapore when officers flagged him.

A check of the Border Control Management system revealed an Interpol red notice issued by the Beijing National Central Bureau (NCB).

Singapore permanent resident

Yusman explained that Yan, a Singapore permanent resident, had travelled to Batam with his family for a holiday.

Indonesian authorities promptly apprehended him and brought him to Jakarta.

TOC has reached out to the Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to clarify Yan’s residency status in Singapore and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.

Specifically, TOC has inquired whether Yan had been residing in Singapore prior to his trip to Batam and, if so, why he was not apprehended in Singapore despite an Interpol red notice issued against him.

At a news conference, Yan appeared in an orange detainee’s uniform and face mask but made no statements.

Yusman stated that Yan had been identified as a suspect by police in China’s Inner Mongolia region, who accuse him of facilitating the transfer and laundering of over 130 million yuan linked to a criminal online gambling syndicate.

The process to transfer Yan to Chinese authorities is ongoing.

Yusman noted that Indonesia’s NCB Interpol is managing the handover, and a decision on deportation or extradition will take time.

Fugitive Behind $14 Billion Investment Scam Arrested in Bali in October 2024

Yan’s arrest follows a series of similar operations targeting foreign nationals involved in crimes across the region.

In October, immigration officers in Bali arrested Lin Qiang (林强), a fugitive Chinese businessman accused of running investment scams worth over US$14 billion.

Lin, identified as the owner of the insolvent Shanghai HHSC (和合首创) Capital Management, fled China in August 2023 after the firm’s financial troubles left 50,000 victims suffering heavy losses.

The suspect arrived in Bali from Singapore on 26 September using a Turkish passport under the alias Joe Lin, just one day before Interpol issued a Red Notice for him.

Before his arrest, Lin moved between multiple countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Portugal, and the United States, in an attempt to evade capture while feeding a growing gambling addiction.

In a separate case last month, Filipino fugitive Hector Aldwin Pantollana was apprehended in Bali over allegations of scamming US$67 million from clients in the Philippines.

Additionally, Alice Guo, a former mayor linked to Chinese criminal syndicates, was detained near Jakarta in September and subsequently deported to the Philippines.

Earlier in June, authorities in Bali arrested Chaowalit Thongduang, a fugitive from Thailand, for his involvement in multiple killings and drug trafficking.

He was extradited to Thailand aboard a Thai air force plane.