Armed street crime wave in West Jakarta: Robberies and motor vehicle thefts growing more brazen
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – A string of armed criminal incidents has repeatedly terrorised residents of Jakarta, particularly in West Jakarta, which has become one of the hotspots for violent crime.
Throughout May 2026, West Jakarta has seemingly been subjected to a barrage of street crime acts.
Indeed, several robberies involving sharp weapons and firearms have frequently occurred in broad daylight amid busy street activity.
Some of these offences have motives of robbery and seeking economic gain. The criminals do not hesitate to injure their victims cruelly when met with resistance.
Armed motor vehicle theft (curanmor) terror has been recorded at two points in West Jakarta within two weeks.
An armed curanmor incident that drew public attention occurred on Sunday (10 May 2026) on Jalan Duri Raya, precisely at a bakso stall at around 13:48 local time. When the act was spotted by victims, the perpetrators immediately pointed a pistol at the victim, even firing three warning shots to deter pursuit.
Kebon Jeruk Police Chief, Komisaris Nur Aqsha, confirmed the incident of motor vehicle theft with a firearm. “Yes, it happened; CCTV shows it (the suspect fired). Regarding the firearm, it is being studied whether it is real or fake,” Aqsha said when contacted by telephone, Monday (11 May 2026).
Several days earlier, a similar, no less chilling incident also occurred in the area around the Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) branch in Kemanggisan, Palmerah, on Thursday (7 May 2026). At that time, the two perpetrators of curanmor again carried out their act in broad daylight, pointing a firearm at residents around as a form of resistance when caught by several people. The two perpetrators then fled with the stolen motorcycle.
The most high-profile case was the mugging of a man on Jalan Arjuna Utara, Palmerah, on Monday (4 May 2026) early in the morning, recorded on CCTV and posted to Instagram account @info.kebonjeruk. The armed gang attacked a resident who was parking a motorcycle by the roadside. The criminals, dangerously, threatened him, pushed him into a drain, then hacked his back before making off with the targeted motorcycle.
A bladed-weapon mugging also occurred on Jalan Mangga Besar IV, Tamansari, on Sunday (3 May 2026). The gang of four snatched the victim’s gold necklace and then threatened him with a sickle to deter resistance or pursuit.
“This group also cooperates with three others, one of whom works in a jewellery store as a receiver and have repeatedly committed their crimes,” said Tamansari Metro Police Chief, Kompol Bobby M Zulfikar, on Friday (15 May 2026).
The blade-weapon attacks have also occurred in several areas from Grogol Petamburan, Cengkareng to Tambora. One notable case was an attack on a group of teenagers near Grogol Station, which left one teen lying bloodied on the sidewalk. The victim fled, but was later captured and suffered stab wounds to the waist, rendering him unconscious. The incident caused alarm in the vicinity because it occurred while the station area was still busy.
“So when they assembled, their meetup point was there (Grogol Terminal); there are groups who intended to attack. They ran away, but some continued to be chased by this group. Finally the assault occurred in front of Grogol Station,” explained Grogol Petamburan Police Chief, AKP Reza Aditya, on Wednesday (13 May 2026).
After being stabbed and the victim lying bleeding by the roadside, the victim’s Honda ADV motorcycle was seized by the marauding youths and later found abandoned in Tambora the next day.