Three Pakistani Caught Trying to Enter Indonesia with Fake French Passports

Feb 17, 2025

JAKARTA - Three Pakistani nationals, identified as SZ, TS, and MZ, were apprehended by immigration officials at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for attempting to enter Indonesia using fake French passports.

The three Pakistani nationals arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Wednesday (12/02/2025) at around 16:30 WIB, using a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. They attempted to enter Indonesia using fake French passports and ID cards.

"They arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport using a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. Because they used French passports, they were able to obtain a Visa on Arrival and attempted to pass through immigration using the autogate. However, the autogate did not detect their passports," explained Director of Immigration Surveillance and Enforcement, Yuldi Yusman.

Immigration officials who were suspicious of the three individuals conducted further inspections. The results of the inspection revealed that the three individuals were foreigners using Pakistani passports when they flew from Bangkok to Indonesia. The officials also found three Pakistani passports belonging to the three individuals. They had only used the French passports when attempting to enter Indonesia.

Based on the initial evidence, immigration officials handed over the case to investigators at the Immigration Office's Intelligence and Enforcement Division.

"We are currently investigating whether there are other parties involved, both domestically and internationally. These foreigners used Indonesia as a transit country before continuing their journey to their destination countries in Europe. The initial indication is that their motive was economic, to seek a better life in another country," added Yuldi.

Further investigation revealed that SZ, TS, and MZ intended to travel to Europe to seek better living conditions. They obtained the fake French passports from a Sri Lankan national, identified as WJ, whom they met through Facebook. They agreed to pay WJ a sum of money in exchange for the fake passports.

WJ advised them to travel to Indonesia first before proceeding to Europe. They were also advised to use their Pakistani passports when departing from Thailand and switch to the French passports when arriving in Indonesia.

Currently, SZ, TS, and MZ are undergoing investigation for alleged immigration violations. They are charged under Article 119(2) of the Immigration Law for intentionally using fake travel documents, which carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to IDR 500,000,000.

Regarding this case, Minister of Immigration and Population, Agus Andrianto, explained that immigration officials conduct surveillance on foreigners both before and during their stay in Indonesia. Although autogates are in place for more efficient immigration checks, immigration surveillance remains a priority.

"To prevent potential threats to national security, such as terrorism, transnational crime, or illegal immigration, foreigners who enter Indonesia with malicious intent or through non-procedural means will be the primary target of immigration surveillance," concluded Agus.

Last updated 17 February 2025