Were the 30 Malaysians caught in Indonesia lone scammers, or something bigger? Home Ministry to dig deeper

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says Malaysia will look into the scams involving 30 Malaysians detained in Pontianak, West Kalimantan to see how large the network could be. — Bernama pic

First Published: Saturday, 12 Sep 2026 3:28 PM MYT

PEKAN, Sept 12 — Malaysia will conduct an investigation following the detention of 30 Malaysians suspected of being involved in online scam activities in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the country’s authorities would take appropriate action regarding the matter.

“The usual practice is for the Indonesian authorities to contact our police force to allow us to conduct an investigation from our perspective.

“The purpose is to establish whether this was an operation involving only these 30 individuals acting independently or whether they were part of a more organised syndicate. The information obtained will enable us to formulate a plan for further action,” he said.

He said this at a media conference after officiating the launch of the 2026 Madani Adopted Village and School by the Immigration Department at Sekolah Kebangsaan Nenasi here today.

It was reported that Indonesian authorities detained 30 Malaysians and a Taiwanese national at a hotel at about 11.15 am on Tuesday following intelligence on suspicious activities involving foreign nationals.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution, who is also Pakatan Harapan secretary-general, said the Madani Government’s focus was currently on prioritising issues affecting the people.

“We still have until February 2028… there are many more things we can do by leveraging our position in the government, maintaining stability, managing the economy prudently and focusing on the welfare of the people.

“More than a year is ample time for us to focus on fulfilling our responsibilities as leaders and safeguarding the people’s welfare. In my view, that is more important,” he said.

He said this when asked to comment on calls for the 16th General Election to be held earlier, before the current parliamentary term expires. — Bernama