Desperate To Enter The Republic Of Indonesia Using French Passports, 3 Pakistani Citizens Are Secured By Immigration

A press conference related to 3 Pakistani citizens who were desperate to enter Indonesia using a French passport allegedly fake at the Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, Jakarta, Monday (17/2/2025). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Immigration officers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta) managed to secure three Pakistani citizens (WN) who tried to enter Indonesian territory using a fake French passport and identity card.

The three Pakistani citizens with the initials SZR, TS, and MZ arrived at Terminal 3 of Soetta International Arrival, Wednesday, February 12 afternoon, from Bangkok, Thailand. However, they did not make it in because the passport used was not detected by the autogate engine.

"It has been tried many times for a passport scan, the results failed and the passports were not detected on the immigration autogate engine," said Head of the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration Jakarta Arief Munandar during a press conference at the Directorate General of Immigration Office, Jakarta, Monday, February 17, which was confiscated by Antara.

Arief explained that the three Pakistani citizens flew from Lahore, Pakistan, to Bangkok, Thailand, and continued their journey to Jakarta on Wednesday, February 12. The three of them want to transit in Indonesia with their main destination to Europe.

Arriving at Terminal 3 of Soetta International Arrival, the three of them took care of an entry permit in the form of a visit visa upon arrival (VoA). Then, SZR, TS, and MZ continued to check immigration through the autogate engine.

After repeatedly trying to pass, the autogate engine cannot scan the passport used. Because it has not been detected, the immigration officer then became suspicious and carried out further examinations of the person concerned.

When checking was carried out, said Arief, the three of them claimed to be French citizens. However, they cannot communicate using French or English, thus increasing the suspicion of officers.

Therefore, SZR, TS, and MZ were taken to the retail supervisor's room for physical examination of documents and interviews. Based on data on the Passenger Profile Information System (SIPP), it was found that the three were registered as Pakistani citizens, instead of France.

"Officers also carried out physical checks on the items brought by the three Pakistani citizens until three Pakistani passports were found belonging to the three people," continued Arief.

Based on preliminary evidence, immigration officers then submitted the handling of the case to investigators in the Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement Division of the Soekarno-Hatta Special Class I Immigration Office.

The results of a pre-investigation investigation by the investigative team found that SZR, TS, and MZ turned out to be aiming for a country in Europe. They obtained a fake French passport from a Sri Lankan citizen with the initials WJ known from Facebook.

They agreed to pay US $ 1000 or around Rp. 17 million to WJ in exchange for French passport making.

The Sri Lankan citizen suggested SZR, TS, and MZ to transit in Indonesia before leaving for Europe. He also suggested using a Pakistani passport upon arrival in Thailand and being replaced with a French passport upon arrival in Indonesia.

"So, they use French passports, so it seems as if they are French citizens and they will easily go to France. That is indeed one of the conditions is that they usually fill out stamps in Indonesia first to be able to later go to France, as if they came from Indonesia," said Arief.

The three Pakistani citizens are being investigated for alleged immigration crimes, namely the act of using fake travel documents. They were charged with Article 119 Paragraph (2) of Law Number 6 Year 2011 concerning Immigration with a maximum imprisonment of five years and a maximum fine of IDR 500 million.