Bandung Residents Order Three Motorbike Taxis for Safety Escort Amid Street Crime Fears

Residents of Bandung, West Java, and its surroundings have been filled with anxiety recently over the phenomenon of street muggings known as begal.

The spectre of begal has made residents cautious and even fearful when travelling the streets of the Flower City, particularly at night. One such resident is Claudia (21), who lives in the area around Jalan Pajajaran, Cicendo District, Bandung City.

Claudia admitted that her worries about the surge in muggings led her to order three online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers to escort her home by motorbike in the early hours of Monday (20 July).

At the time, Claudia had just attended a public viewing event for the 2026 World Cup final in the Gudang Selatan area, Sumur Bandung District, with her friends. She said she left early because she had to work on Monday morning.

As a precaution to ensure a safe journey home, she ordered three ojol drivers to accompany her on the trip to her residence.

“It was because there happened to be a public viewing event, and there really have been a lot of muggings in Bandung. That night, with viewing events happening everywhere, everyone was focused on watching until four in the morning, whereas I had work the next day,” said Claudia on Tuesday (21 July), quoted by detikJabar.

“So I couldn’t stay until four. I originally wanted to go home with my friends, so I had no choice but to order motorcycle taxis to escort me,” she added.

Claudia deliberately ordered three drivers so that no single driver would have to face the risk alone.

“Yes, because if I ordered just one, I wouldn’t want to put the driver at risk either. That’s why I ordered three, so we could all keep each other safe,” she said.

According to her, the drivers were in fact already well aware of the situation. One of the drivers immediately asked which areas were considered dangerous and took the initiative to contact his network of fellow drivers.

“The response actually surprised me. One of them asked, ‘Why, Miss?’ I said, ‘I’m scared of muggers and things like that.’ Then the Gojek driver responded, ‘Oh, which area is it this time?’ He said, ‘Let me contact Prabu,’” Claudia recounted.

Similarly, Adinda Religia (25) also admitted to fearing the muggers. Some time ago, she requested a police escort to travel safely home from her workplace in the Jalan Rajawali area of Bandung City to her home in Margahayu District, Bandung Regency.

“It was a Monday, going home from Rajawali towards Kopo, in the Sayati area. At first I saw news about a red zone in the Soekarno Hatta and Kopo Flyover areas — someone posted about it on their story. I finish work at 10pm at one of the companies there,” said Adinda on Wednesday (22 July), quoted by detikJabar.

Because of this, Adinda contacted the police emergency line 110 to request an escort for herself and friends heading towards Kopo late that night.

“I contacted the police on 110. I called because I was quite scared, and they picked up. I explained that this was a red zone, that I would be passing through Soekarno Hatta, and asked whether they could escort me home from work from Rajawali to Kopo. The police officer said, ‘Yes, you may.’ I called at 9.48pm and they arrived at 10.34pm,” she explained.

“There were three of us on motorcycles, and several officers in a car. Two women and one man, all heading towards Kopo,” she added.

Adinda’s experience was confirmed by the Head of Andir Police Station, AKP Triyono Raharja. His office had received a request for a civilian escort via the 110 service on Monday night earlier this week.

“She probably felt afraid, so she contacted the 110 service. From 110, we were informed, and eventually officers from the Andir Police Station duty team, led by the station’s watch commander and members, were dispatched to the location, which happened to be within the Andir Police Station’s jurisdiction near Rajawali Hospital,” Triyono told reporters.

“She was probably afraid to go home because it was late at night, especially with street crime being widely discussed on social media, so she asked the police for an escort home. As a form of service to the community, we are of course happy to escort her all the way to her house,” he added.

Triyono urged Bandung residents not to hesitate to contact the 110 service for any public security and order concerns.

Statement from Bandung Metropolitan Police

Meanwhile, a map circulating among Bandung residents purporting to show mugging risk zones with colour indicators has been spreading. In response, Bandung Metropolitan Police Chief Kombes Pol Dedi Supriyadi affirmed that the map is a hoax and not an official police release.

“Regarding the reports circulating on social media claiming there are dangerous areas, red zones, green zones and yellow zones — that is not true. As for the map that has been circulating, dividing the entire area of Bandung City into red, yellow or green categories, I state clearly that it does not come from the police institution,” said Dedi at Bandung Metropolitan Police Headquarters on Tuesday (21 July), quoted by detikJabar.

Dedi urged residents to remain calm and not be provoked by street crime issues going viral on social media. He assured that the police had anticipated the situation with regular patrols during vulnerable hours.

“We urge the residents of Bandung City not to worry, not to feel anxious, especially Bandung residents themselves as well as those travelling to Bandung for holiday,” he said.

“Every night we have deployed routine patrols, intensified by involving police stations across our jurisdiction. Roughly two-thirds of our strength, out of some 2,600 personnel, has been deployed in shifts,” Dedi continued.

Dedi did not deny that mugging incidents have indeed occurred in Bandung City. However, according to him, there have also been traffic accidents and murders that have been framed as mugging incidents by certain members of the public.

On that day, Bandung Metropolitan Police Headquarters announced 19 suspects linked to street crimes who had been secured by police.

A long table in the police station’s courtyard displayed numerous sharp weapons, ranging from daggers, samurai swords, hammers, sickles and axes. In addition, around 11 motorcycles used as evidence in crimes were parked in the courtyard.

“For the period from 1 July to today, 21 July, Bandung Metropolitan Police and its units have successfully solved 15 street crimes: first, 8 cases of motor vehicle theft, then 6 cases of robbery with violence. From those 15 cases, we have secured 19 perpetrators, with various types of sharp weapons as you can see, along with 11 motor vehicles,” said Dedi, quoted by detikJabar.

“Bandung Metropolitan Police are committed to keeping the security and public order situation in Bandung City conducive. Therefore, the public need not worry or be anxious, because we are always present among the community at all times,” he added.