Bali immigration officers helped Russians run violent extortion scheme: police

The two officers were arrested alongside the Russians and are likely to lose their jobs, pending the outcome of disciplinary processes

Two immigration officers in Indonesia’s holiday hotspot Bali may lose their jobs after being arrested for allegedly colluding with Russian nationals in a cross-border extortion ring that targeted foreign tourists through threats, assault and forced payments.

The officers – identified as Ernest Esmail and Yopita Barinda Putri, both 24 – are accused of working with two Russian men to intimidate and extort travellers at dozens of locations across the island between January and July this year.

They were arrested in late July alongside the Russians – Iurii Vithcenko, 30, and Ilia Shkutov, 32 – following an investigation triggered by the violent assault of a Lithuanian tourist in Jimbaran on July 10.

According to Parlindungan, head of the Bali Immigration Regional Office, internal disciplinary procedures are already under way and the pair are likely to be terminated pending the outcome of the legal process.

“Following a detailed review by the police chief, there will definitely be an ethics hearing, and the sanctions will be very serious. Dismissal? That is certainly a possibility,” Parlindungan said in response to a reporter’s question on Friday, as quoted by local news outlet Kompas.

The investigation, led by the Bali Regional Police, has so far uncovered 27 separate incidents of alleged extortion and assault targeting foreign nationals across Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar. Police allege the group kidnapped victims and physically abused them, using threats of imprisonment or deportation to force compliance.

“Their modus operandi involved extorting victims through abduction and threatening to take them to the Immigration Office for deportation,” Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya told Antara on Friday.

In the case that exposed the ring, Lithuanian national Roman Smeliov, 42, told police he was assaulted and threatened with death over an alleged US$150,000 debt while staying at a guest house in Jimbaran. He was forcibly taken to another location and, under duress, made to transfer the equivalent amount in cryptocurrency, according to The Bali Times. Smeliov later managed to report the incident to authorities.

Investigators tracked the suspects using CCTV footage and vehicle records, ultimately arresting the Russian nationals in Lombok on July 21. The Indonesian immigration officers were later detained in Denpasar.

Police believe the operation was orchestrated by a Russian national identified only by the initials “GG”, who remains at large.

According to investigators, GG recruited the immigration officers and paid one of them an initial 3 million Indonesian rupiah (US$180) to locate a fellow Russian citizen over an alleged debt. The group mistakenly targeted Smeliov instead, leading to the assault that ultimately exposed the ring.

The suspects face multiple charges under Indonesia’s criminal code, including assault, physical abuse and criminal conspiracy.

According to Bali Police’s Directorate of General Criminal Investigation, the network may also be linked to broader illegal activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering.

Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {“type”:”inline-plus-widget”}

The Bali Immigration Office said it would work closely with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to ensure a thorough internal review and prevent future abuses.

The arrests come amid mounting concerns over the rise of foreign-linked crime in Bali, with officials and residents warning that unchecked mass tourism and lax enforcement are creating fertile ground for organised syndicates.

Bali police recorded a 16 per cent increase in crimes involving foreigners last year, and more than 100 incidents have already been logged in the first half of 2025.

Adrianus Meliala, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia, told Kompas that the island was seeing “the early phase in the formation of organised crime groups”.

“If left unchecked, they could grow into mafia-style syndicates like those seen in Russia or Italy – complete with militias and weapons,” he added.

His comments follow the June shooting of two Australian nationals at a villa south of the island, which police suspect was linked to an underworld feud. Authorities have warned that if current trends continue, Bali could become a key node in transnational criminal networks.