May 11, 2026 (News On Japan) - Several Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a special fraud operation in Indonesia have been detained, after a report from the family of a Japanese woman believed to have been trafficked led authorities to uncover the operation.
One of the Japanese women believed to have been trafficked said, "I thought I was going to work at a KTV karaoke club, and I also wanted to do some sightseeing. But I was put into a car and brought here by force. They took my passport and told me, ‘You can’t go home anymore.’"
The two Japanese women were rescued from a fraud base in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city. According to authorities, the women had originally been offered jobs in Thailand, but were instead taken to Indonesia and forced to participate in scams.
The crackdown was triggered after the local Japanese consulate received a report from one of the women’s family members and requested assistance from local authorities.
During a raid conducted last month, authorities detained more than 40 foreign nationals, including four other Japanese citizens. Investigators also seized posters resembling those used by Japanese police as well as fake police uniforms from the site, leading authorities to believe the group had been carrying out scams targeting people in Japan.
Source: TBS
