Bali Police Arrest 97 Suspects for Theft and Subsidised LPG Fuel Fraud
The Bali Regional Police (Polda Bali) have uncovered 88 criminal cases and arrested 97 suspects over the past month. The cases comprise 80 theft-related offences and eight cases involving the misuse of subsidised 3 kg LPG and Pertalite fuel.
Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya stated that the disclosures were made following the formation of a Rapid Reaction Unit (URC) within the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation and all precincts. The unit, reinforced with 327 personnel, focuses on street crime, particularly theft. “In the 37 days since its formation up to 26 June 2026, the URC has successfully uncovered 80 cases of 4C crimes with 97 suspects,” Daniel said during a press conference at Bali Police Headquarters on Monday (29/6/2026). The 4C crimes refer to aggravated theft, violent theft, motor vehicle theft, and livestock theft.
The suspects include 93 men and four women, one of whom is a minor whose case has been declared complete (P21) by the Bangli Police. The breakdown of cases includes 13 ordinary thefts with 12 suspects, 32 aggravated thefts with 40 suspects, five violent thefts with six suspects, and 30 motor vehicle thefts with 39 suspects. Police also seized a range of stolen goods, including three cars, 55 motorcycles, 25 mobile phones, five laptops, a television, 148.82 grams of gold, over IDR 76 million in cash, charity boxes, and several LPG canisters. All conventional crime cases are currently under investigation, with some entering the case file stage for transfer to the prosecution service.
In addition to the theft cases, the Special Crime Directorate and precinct criminal investigation units uncovered eight cases of subsidised goods misuse, involving four LPG and four Pertalite cases with eight suspects. In the LPG cases, perpetrators used iron pipes to transfer the contents of 3 kg subsidised canisters into 12 kg non-subsidised canisters, selling the mixed gas at higher prices to profit from the price difference. For the fuel cases, suspects used modified vehicles to purchase large quantities of subsidised Pertalite by manipulating subsidy barcodes, then reselling the fuel above the official price. Evidence seized included 233 filled 3 kg LPG canisters, 46 empty 3 kg canisters, 44 filled 12 kg LPG canisters, 22 empty 12 kg canisters, 20 iron pipes used for gas transfer, three motorcycles, IDR 1 million in cash, 1,327.5 litres of Pertalite, 32 fuel storage gallons, 30 jerry cans, 82 storage bottles, three modified cars, five motorcycles, and three mobile phones.
Daniel emphasised that the misuse of subsidised LPG and fuel not only causes state losses but also disrupts the distribution of subsidised goods to entitled communities. “Based on the investigation, the potential state loss from these eight cases of subsidised goods misuse is estimated at approximately IDR 1.254 billion,” he said. The suspects are charged under Article 55 of Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Gas, as amended by the Job Creation Law. They face a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a fine of up to IDR 500 million. Daniel stressed that Bali Police will continue to take firm action against all forms of criminality, including the misuse of subsidised goods that has a broad impact on society.