Timor-Leste police recently detained 14 Chinese nationals again. Local media reported that the group had previously been placed under investigation on suspicion of running a fraud call center and had been granted court-approved bail supervision; police said they were suspected of continuing related activities during the supervision period.
The case dates back to July 13 this year. Timor-Leste national police simultaneously raided two suspected cross-border telecom fraud and illegal online gambling sites in Comoro in Dili and Ulmera in Liquiçá, detaining a total of 90 foreign nationals, 15 of whom were Chinese.
Police seized large quantities of electronic equipment at the time, including 56 laptops, mobile phones, Starlink devices, phone cards and routers, and sealed the items as case evidence; the case files were subsequently handed over to the prosecution.
According to Timor-Leste media on September 29, on the evening of September 28, the criminal investigation department, jointly with the intelligence department, launched another operation in the Comoro area of Dili and took 14 Chinese nationals back for investigation.
Police said the 14 had previously been under investigation on suspicion of illegally running a fraud call center, with case number NUC:0247/2026-PNSIK, and were under court-approved bail supervision. The police investigation found they had used mobile phones and other devices during the supervision period to allegedly engage in fraud call center operations.
A total of 10 iPhones and other electronic devices were seized at the scene during the operation. The 14 suspects and the relevant evidence have been taken to police headquarters, and the case will be further investigated and handled by the police and judicial authorities.