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fter weeks of silence, the Bali Police have finally responded to allegations that local police personnel had committed violence against and extorted several Australian tourists earlier this year, saying that investigation of the incident was under way.

Bali Police spokesperson, Sr. Comr. Hery Wiyanto said on Thursday that Bali Police'€™s internal affairs directorate had summoned the Kuta Police chief and several Kuta Police personnel to Bali Police headquarters for questioning regarding their alleged involvement in the incident.

'€œThe examination has been under way for several days and is still ongoing,'€ Hery said on Thursday.

The incident allegedly happened in February when former model Mark Ipaviz and his friends were holidaying on the resort island, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on June 21.

On their last night in Bali, they organized a private event at an upmarket Seminyak restaurant and hired a stripper for the party.

After the stripper began her performance, security guards stormed in and allegedly used taser weapons against the Australians, as well as beat them with guns and bottles.

After confiscating the men'€™s phones and calling local police, the guards and the police transported the group to a police station.

The tourists were reportedly forced to stay overnight at the police station and threatened with 10-year prison sentences for indecency. They were reportedly later taken to ATMs and forced to withdraw a total of Rp 250 million (US$17,750) to secure their release.

The story has emerged despite the Australians'€™ decision to remain silent about the alleged incident. Most of them have vowed never to return to Bali, saying they still feel angry and upset.

Hery said that the current investigation had been ordered by the National Police'€™s headquarters in Jakarta in an attempt to clear the name of the police.

'€œThere has been no report filed by the alleged victims in the incident with the police. Instead, our investigation has been conducted based on the story widely reported by Australian media,'€ he said.

Hery said firm sanctions would be imposed on the police personnel in question should the investigation find that they were involved in the alleged incident.

'€œIf it is true, it means that they have violated disciplinary regulations and the police code of conduct. Among possible sanctions are delay of promotion, imprisonment or even dismissal,'€ he said.

Hery said that the incident could damage Bali'€™s image as a tourist destination.

'€œWe have to find the truth as Bali is a tourist destination and many foreigners stay in this province,'€ he said.

Contacted separately, Kuta Police chief Comr. Dedy Januarta refused to comment about the police'€™s ongoing investigation into his alleged involvement in the violence and extortion case. He, however, confirmed that a number of Kuta Police personnel had been questioned by Bali Police investigators.

'€œThe Bali Police are still checking whether it [the incident] really took place or not,'€ he said briefly.

Criminologist Gede Made Swardhana from Denpasar-based Udayana University said allegations of bribery and extortion involving police personnel were rampant in Bali and required thorough measures to respond to them.

He cited an incident when two Bali traffic police officers were caught on camera accepting a bribe from a Dutch tourist in 2013. The case was revealed after a recording of them asking a tourist for money went viral on YouTube.

Swardhana said he hoped the Bali Police imposed firm punishment on those involved in the alleged violence and extortion against the Australian tourists.

'€œIt [extortion] has made people, including tourists holidaying in Bali, no longer trust law enforcers here,'€ he said.

Australian citizens have long represented the largest number of tourist arrivals in Bali.

In 2014, the number of Australians visiting Bali reached 991,923, an increase of 20 percent from the previous year.

During the first four months of this year, the number stood at 312,931, rising 11.64 percent from the same period in 2014.