DILI (TOP) - The story of the escape of criminal detainees for online fraud in Timor-Leste is not like what happened in Sri Lanka prison (July 2026), Barinas prison, Venezuela (May 2026) and Makala prison, Ecuador (September 2025), but is slightly different because the majority of prisoners were not imprisoned but only reported themselves to the police and paid fines.
Thus, the defendants in the case of Scam Call Center and Online Game (Online Fraud) that police authorities arrested and detained in the capital Dili are suspected of not complying with the decision of the Court and have fled the territory of Timor-Leste (TL).
A confirmed source confirmed that the defendants in the Scam Call Center case totaling 141 suspected to have fled the territory of Timor-Leste, because during the arrest process the immigration service did not cite their passports, and the owner of the criminal action (Public Prosecutor Office) also during the allegation process did not ask for preventive detention, but only asked for enforcement measures.
The defendants of the Online Fraud case detained by the security authorities in Bebonuk, Dili totaled 96, and 89 did not comply with the Court's decision on the measure of force, and eventually they fled the national territory.
Of the 61 police detained in the Tibar area, 52 have escaped.
The decision of the Judicial Court of First Instance of Dili for 61 defendants detained by the police in Tibar, the Court applied preventive detention to only one manager, and 60 applied only periodic presentation measures once a week to the nearest police station including pay fine U$2,500 per defendant.
Of the 60 defendants, 52 defendants are suspected fled the national territory, because of lack of money, and only 9 defendants complied with the Court's decision to fine U$2,500 and comply with periodic presentations.
The 96 defendants detained by the police authorities in Bebonuk, previously the Court applied a measure of restraint with U$3000 to each defendant and the Absence Prohibition (the defendant cannot travel and change residence without giving notice or submitting a request for authorization), but only 7 defendants were arrested and the other defendants are suspected of having fled the national territory.
