In Indonesia, it is a common practice for the police to conduct raids before the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan to curb nightlife excesses.

However, something out of the ordinary occurred on Sunday night when the North Jakarta Police raided a gym in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, less than a week before the start of Ramadhan, and arrested 141 men inside the three-story building. The police alleged that the men had been involved in a gay sex party.

The arrest operation has caused surprise given the large number of people the police rounded up. Of the men arrested, 10 have been named suspects.

According to North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr Dwiyono, the gym had been operating for three years but the police had only become aware of suspicious activities on the premises in the past year.

“When we conducted the raid, we found out that the permit for this ‘gym’ was actually for a place of entertainment. There were no signs indicating that the building was being used as a gym apart from a small sign that displayed the gym’s name,” Dwiyono said.

As of Monday afternoon, the 141 arrested men were still undergoing questioning at the North Jakarta Police headquarters.

The suspects have been charged under Articles 30 and 36 of the 2008 Pornography Law, which carry a maximum sentence of six and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively.

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