Indonesia has deported more than 140 Chinese and Taiwanese to China, where they are wanted for impersonating police and scamming businessmen and politicians out of hundreds of million of dollars.
The 121 Chinese and 22 Taiwanese were handed over to Chinese police and left from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on two flights, immigration office spokesman Agung Sampurno said on Thursday.
"They are part of transnational organised crime who came to Indonesia as tourists," Sampurno said.
Indonesian police caught the mostly male suspects in a weekend raid of houses in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali.
Two suffered gunshot wounds to their legs while attempting to escape.
The arrests followed a tip from Chinese police.
National police spokesman Rikwanto said the scammers had operated from Indonesia since late 2016 to avoid being tracked down at home and the scam had earned about $A567 million.
Rikwanto, who goes by a single name, said the suspects had incriminating information about their targets and posing as Chinese law enforcement officers promised a clean slate in exchange for money.
He said several Indonesians who helped arrange travel and accommodation were arrested in Bali though no Indonesians were victims of the scam.
The arrests angered Taiwan's foreign ministry, which expressed deep regret on Thursday for the deportation of Taiwanese nationals to China.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council also protested Beijing's interference, urging Beijing to return the Taiwanese suspects to Taiwan as soon as possible.
There are no formal diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Indonesia.
