Indonesian authorities say they discovered Angelo Pandeli in the toilet of a private jet, with a fake Brazilian passport.

The scene resembles a movie script. In Bali, Angelo Pandeli, a 55-year-old Australian described by authorities as the subject of an Interpol notice, was arrested as he attempted to leave Indonesia aboard a private jet bound for Africa.

According to Indonesian authorities, the man was using a fake Brazilian passport. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Maputo, Mozambique, with several foreign passengers on board. However, immigration officials noticed irregularities during checks at Denpasar airport.

Found in the airplane toilet

After initial checks, the passengers reportedly reboarded the aircraft without authorization. The plane was preparing to leave the area when authorities requested its return. Agents then boarded to inspect the private jet.

That's where they reportedly found Angelo Pandeli hiding in the plane's toilet, while the other passengers were in the cabin. Authorities later concluded that the passport presented under a different identity was counterfeit.

A profile already under surveillance

Angelo Pandeli is a former leader of a motorcycle gang in Sydney. Australian authorities have previously linked him to organized crime networks, but he has not been charged in Australia in this case and there are, at this stage, no new legal charges made public against him.

Indonesian authorities maintain, however, that he was the subject of an international alert and was attempting to leave the region with irregular travel documents. After his arrest, he was deported to Australia.

Banned from returning to Indonesia

The case also has a diplomatic dimension. Indonesian authorities indicated that the expulsion followed a request from the Australian embassy, as part of inter-agency cooperation.

Angelo Pandeli has been sent back to Adelaide and banned for life from entering Indonesia, according to Bali's immigration services. This ban closes the Indonesian chapter of his alleged escape, but the case continues to generate strong reactions due to its dramatic unfolding: a fake passport, a private jet, a departure for Africa, and a hiding place in the airplane lavatory.