Police Arrest Malaysian Man Blackmailer in Batam via Gay Dating App

The Barelang Police arrested three residents of Batam City involved in extortion of Malaysian foreigners with the dating application modus, in Batam, Thursday (19/2/2026). ANTARA/Laily Rahmawaty

BATAM - The Barelang Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Riau Islands Police, has uncovered a blackmail case experienced by a foreign citizen (WNA) from Malaysia with a modus operandi of a same-sex dating application that occurred in the city of Batam.

Kasatreskrim of the Barelang Police, Kompol Debby Tri Andrestian, said that the perpetrators were three people who were part of a network with different roles, extorting Malaysian Foreign Nationals worth 5,000 Ringgit (about Rp20 million at the exchange rate of Rp4,327.91).

"The victim with the initials MABAG is 42 years old, a Malaysian citizen who works as a driver while on vacation in Batam City," said Debby.

During the vacation, he said, the victim was looking for a date through the Grindr application (which indicated a same-sex dating application). Until the victim managed to find a hot friend and communicate with one of the perpetrators, a man with the initials HG (29) through the application.

Furthermore, the perpetrator HG invited the victim to meet and promised to pick him up and take him to an empty house in the Batam City area.

Then, the other two perpetrators with initials WS and YW pretended to be residents of the area who guarded the security of the environment. Raiding an empty house that was visited by the victim with his girlfriend.

The two perpetrators then threatened the victim for having committed a disgraceful act in the empty house. The threat was made using a wooden stick, and would parade the victim around the settlement.

"The perpetrator asked the victim for money so that the incident would not be reported so that the victim was afraid and handed over the money requested," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 19.

The incident was then reported by the victim to the Barelang Police, after an investigation and investigation. The three perpetrators were arrested on Wednesday (18/2) in different places.

Suspect HG was arrested in front of the Bengkong area, suspect YW in the Bantu Ampar area, and WS was arrested in Lubuk Baja.

In the criminal case, the suspect WS acted as an extortioner who threatened the victim as well as an operator who held the barcode to transfer funds from the victim to the perpetrator. The barcode is affiliated with online gambling.

"YW is the brain of the perpetrator, meaning he is the owner of the account on the dating application. And his job is to find victims," he said.

Meanwhile, the suspect HG as a feeder who brought the victim to the place to be framed and threatened. The perpetrators are repeat offenders with similar cases, namely theft accompanied by violence.

The money from the extortion was also divided by the perpetrators, each receiving a different amount, WS received Rp. 6.7 million, YW also Rp. 6.7 million and HG Rp. 7 million.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with violating Article 487 paragraph (2) and/or Article 479 paragraph (2) letters A and D of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code with a threat of 12 years in prison.