A Billion-Dollar Industry Evolves By March 2025, Southeast Asia’s cybercrime epidemic has ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar scourge, driven by tech-savvy syndicates. A UNODC report from October 2024 estimated regional scam losses at $18 billion to $37 billion in 2023, a tally likely rising as artificial intelligence supercharges fraud. From “pig butchering” romance scams to crypto…
A Persistent Scourge Fueled by Organized Crime As of March 2025, human trafficking continues to haunt Southeast Asia, with organized crime networks ensnaring millions in a web of exploitation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned in August 2023 that at least 100,000 people are held in Cambodia’s scam compounds alone, a…
Crime in Asia continues to make headlines, with a series of shocking incidents unfolding in early March 2025. From a dramatic train hijacking in Pakistan to a chilling rape case in Delhi and a violent stabbing in Bangkok, these events spotlight the diverse challenges facing law enforcement across the region. Below, we dive into the…
Jakarta – A former Inspector General of the Indonesian police has been sentenced to death for orchestrating the premeditated murder of his personal bodyguard, a case that has drawn significant public attention for months. Ferdy Sambo, who previously served as the Head of Internal Affairs for the Indonesian Police, received the sentence from a panel…
Congressional Hearings Highlight Need for Marcos Administration Action Manila – The Philippine government must implement major reforms in law enforcement following congressional hearings that exposed police misconduct in the country’s anti-drug campaign, Human Rights Watch stated in a recent report. In the past weeks, testimonies presented before multiple House committees revealed allegations of extrajudicial killings…
Recent allegations involving the Malaysian police, including a high-profile case where an officer was accused of sexually assaulting a foreign student, have intensified discussions about the effectiveness of the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC). The body, which was formed to investigate complaints against law enforcement officers, is now under scrutiny itself. On January 10, Home…
Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has launched an investigation into former national police chief Torsak Sukvimol, also known as “Big Tor”, over allegations of bribery and money laundering tied to an illegal online gambling network called BNK Master. As reported by the Bangkok Post on December 17, Torsak is accused of laundering money through the…
A former Singapore police officer has been sentenced to six years and six months in jail after being found guilty of accepting bribes and interfering with investigations. In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to pay a financial penalty of S$32,500 (US$24,600). Corruption and Charges Poo Tze Chiang, previously a Station Inspector, faced…