A US national has been arrested here on charges of fraud and people-smuggling involving 47 Chinese citizens who allegedly paid him to take them to Australia, officials say.

The 57-year-old Afghanistan-born suspect, Yusuf Karim, alias Joe Joshua, was arrested at a hotel in Tangerang, near Jakarta, on Monday along with the 47 Chinese nationals.

"We have information and strong evidence the perpetrator was involved in an immigration offense and human trafficking," immigration directorate general enforcement director Muchdor said Wednesday.

He said the Chinese nationals, including six women, arrived in Jakarta from Beijing between October and December last year, having been promised jobs in Australia by Karim.

Each of the Chinese paid 55,000 yuan (US$8,000) to Karim, but he failed to show up when they arrived in Jakarta.

“They then had to take a 'fit-and-proper' test in Jakarta to meet the job requirements,” Muchdor said.

None of them passed the test and they were left stranded in Jakarta.

Muchdor said the possible involvement of Indonesians in the case was being looked into by police.

He added his office was working with the police to deal with the case.

The immigration office has also cooperated with the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta to repatriate the 47 Chinese citizens.

The hotel’s management said Karim and the immigrants had not paid for the almost three months that they stayed at the hotel.

“We checked the job vacancies promised by JJ with Australian authorities, and they confirmed the jobs were fictitious,” Muchdor said.

He added immigration officials also found payment receipts from all 47 immigrants, their contracts, passports, a laptop computer and a cell phone at Karim's hotel room in South Jakarta.

Indonesia has long been a transit stop for people-smuggling operations to Australia.

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