Active Since 2025, Lanyard-Wearing Thief Targeting Luxury Jakarta Hotels Was a Lone Operator
Police have arrested a man identified by the initials NW (43) after he stole items from a five-star hotel in the Karet area of Central Jakarta. Authorities have confirmed that NW was not part of any theft ring.
“Role: sole executor,” said AKP Arief Ryzki Wicaksana, Head of Unit V Mobile Criminal Investigation Division of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, speaking to reporters on Tuesday (17 February 2026).
The suspect was apprehended on Friday (13 February) in Matraman, East Jakarta. Investigations revealed that NW had repeatedly carried out thefts at luxury hotels across Jakarta.
His first known offence took place on 8 August 2025, when he stole from a five-star hotel in the Tanah Abang area of Central Jakarta.
NW struck again on 24 October 2025, this time targeting a ballroom at a five-star hotel in the Sawah Besar area of Central Jakarta.
His third theft occurred on 10 February, when he made off with a bag containing a laptop from a ballroom at a five-star hotel in the Tanah Abang area of Central Jakarta.
Targeting Hotel Seminars
Jakarta Metropolitan Police spokesperson Kombes Budi Hermanto said the suspect would enter venues dressed smartly, resembling an office worker. He also wore a lanyard and batik shirt to deceive his victims.
“The suspect is believed to have targeted seminars or meetings at star-rated hotels. He entered looking presentable, like an office worker, wearing batik and a lanyard, and carrying a bag, allowing him to freely take victims’ belongings that were left unattended,” Budi told reporters on Monday (16 February).
Budi said NW operated as a lone executor, exploiting his victims’ inattention to carry out his crimes.
“The suspect took advantage of the busy atmosphere at hotel events. By presenting himself as a participant or employee, he was able to move freely into meeting rooms and take victims’ belongings that had been left unattended,” he explained.
The suspect was arrested on Friday (13 February) in the Matraman area of East Jakarta after his identity was uncovered. A number of items of evidence were seized during the arrest.
“Police confiscated several pieces of evidence, including one laptop belonging to a victim, a lanyard, sunglasses, a black bag, a batik shirt, jeans, and the shoes worn during the offences,” he disclosed.