The advanced autogate system at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has once again proven its role in strengthening Indonesia’s immigration security. This time, it helped detect an attempt at human smuggling involving three Pakistani nationals who tried to enter Indonesia using fake French passports.
Johanes Fanny Satria, Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Special Class I Immigration Office, explained that the three foreigners, identified by the initials SZR, TS, and MZ, were caught when their passports failed to be recognized by the autogate system. This irregularity immediately raised suspicions among immigration officers.
Further examination confirmed that the passports were indeed counterfeit.
As a result, authorities detained the three Pakistani individuals and are currently investigating them for alleged immigration crimes involving fraudulent travel documents.
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According to the immigration investigation, this case is part of a larger human smuggling operation. Indonesia was being used as a transit point before the individuals would proceed to their final destination in Europe.
“So, the motive is indeed for criminal acts of human smuggling, for transit in Indonesia, to then go to a third country, namely the destination to Europe, so they use fake French passports,” said Fanny, as quoted from Antara on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
Further probing revealed that the fake passports had been acquired through a Sri Lankan national, identified by the initials WJ. The supplier had provided these fraudulent documents through Facebook for a fee of $1,000 (approximately IDR 16.3 million).
According to the investigation, WJ had advised the three individuals to use their real Pakistani passports while travelling to Thailand and switch to fake French passports once they arrived in Indonesia.
Timeline of Events
The three suspects arrived at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, from Bangkok, Thailand. Their intended plan was to transit in Indonesia before continuing to Europe.
Upon arrival, they applied for a visa on arrival (VoA) and proceeded to the immigration checkpoint. However, when they scanned their passports at the autogate, the system repeatedly failed to recognize them.
“It has been tried many times to scan the passport, the results failed, and the passport was not detected on the immigration autogate machine,” said Arief Munandar, Head of the Jakarta Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, during a press conference on February 17, 2025.
Following the failed scans, immigration officers subjected the three individuals to further checks and subsequently detained them for attempting to enter the country with fake documents.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that the suspects had obtained their fake passports from WJ, whom the Pakistani had contacted via Facebook.
They had paid $1,000 each for the documents, believing that using a French passport would facilitate easier travel to Europe.
“They use French passports, so it’s as if they are French citizens, making it easier for them to enter France. One of the usual methods is to obtain an Indonesian immigration stamp first so that later it appears they are coming from Indonesia,” explained Arief.
The three suspects are currently being processed under Article 119 Paragraph (2) of Law Number 6 Year 2011 on Immigration. If found guilty, they could face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of IDR 500 million.
This case highlights the importance of Indonesia’s autogate system in detecting fraudulent travel documents and preventing human smuggling.
