JAKARTA, March 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. citizen has been charged in Indonesia with taking money from 47 Chinese to smuggle them to Australia through Jakarta.
Yusuf Karim was arrested Monday, The Jakarta Post reported. Police say Karim, born in Afghanistan, also used the name Joe Joshua.
Police discovered Karim and the 47 Chinese would-be immigrants at a hotel near Jakarta. Managers said the group had been staying there for three months and had not paid for their rooms.
Karim allegedly charged the Chinese about $8,000, promising to get them to Australia and that jobs would be available there. Karim has been charged with fraud and human trafficking.
The Indonesian government has discussed repatriating the Chinese with consular officials.
The head of immigration enforcement said investigators were trying to determine whether any Indonesians were working with Karim.
