Jakarta – The Badung Police in Bali have uncovered a human trafficking (TPPO) operation involving prostitution marketed through an online site. Two Russian nationals were identified as the operators and managers of this illegal activity.
Police arrested two Russian nationals in Banjar Anyar Kelod, North Kuta District, Badung, on Friday (10/1/2025). The suspects are a 26-year-old woman with the initials AK and a 31-year-old man with the initials MT.
Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya revealed that the two suspects are part of an international TPPO network that has been operating in Bali for two years.
According to Daniel, suspect AK acted as the handler, specifically managing the Bali area. She also held the account used for transactions, selected and listed the sex workers’ contact details on the website.
“She (AK) distributed the proceeds from transactions to the sex workers and her team. She served as the admin of the website in Bali, controlling all the women working as sex workers, registering them on the website, and communicating with the clients,” said Daniel Adityajaya during a press conference at the Badung Police Station on Monday (13/1/2025).
Meanwhile, suspect MT served as the manager. His role included directly communicating with the clients.
In this case, police also identified a TPPO victim turned sex worker, with the initials EE alias L, a Russian national. However, this network could also provide entertainers from Indonesia and other foreign countries.
“The suspects offered clients a selection of entertainers from various parts of the world, including sex workers from several cities in Indonesia, through the website,” Daniel added.
Daniel stated that the case was uncovered amidst rising prostitution activities involving foreign nationals. Police gathered information from members of the Russian community in Bali in recent months.
Through this information, authorities discovered prostitution activities being marketed online. The investigative team later identified a client, who was also a foreign national.
“The team conducted surveillance around a hotel in the Canggu, North Kuta area, at approximately 03:22 AM WITA. They apprehended EE while engaging in intimate activities with a Russian national,” explained the former North Kalimantan Police Chief.
The two suspects are now detained at the Badung Police Station. They are charged under Article 45 Paragraph (1) of Law No. 1 of 2024, an amendment to Law No. 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE), with a maximum prison sentence of six years and a fine of up to IDR 1 billion.
The suspects are also charged under Article 2 of Law No. 21 of 2007 on the Eradication of TPPO, with a minimum prison sentence of three years and a maximum of 15 years, along with fines ranging from IDR 120 million to IDR 600 million. Alternatively, they could face charges under Article 506 of the Criminal Code (KUHP), which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.