Bantul Boy Hides in Ceiling to Avoid Being Taken to Rehabilitation Centre

A teenage boy in Bantul was taken to the Sentra Antasena rehabilitation centre in Magelang after being deemed delinquent by local residents. The 15-year-old initially resisted and hid in the ceiling to avoid officials.

The incident occurred in Timbulharjo Village on Wednesday (8/7/2026) at 7.30 am WIB. Despite his stubborn refusal, the boy was eventually taken by residents to the child rehabilitation centre. “It is true, on Wednesday the village officials and the community police officer carried out the pick-up of a child to be taken to Sentra Antasena Magelang,” said Timbulharjo Village Head Anif Arkham Haibar.

Arif explained that residents wanted the child to be rehabilitated because he was frequently caught stealing. The boy had reportedly dropped out of school since the fifth grade. “The child used to attend elementary school until grade 5, but he was caught stealing money and eventually dropped out. At home, it turned out he often stole money from his neighbours,” he said.

Anif stated that the stolen money could amount to millions of rupiah, which the boy used to fund his hobby of keeping birds. “The child likes keeping birds and building cages, but the money came from stealing. Because it happened repeatedly, the residents finally reported it to the neighbourhood chief, the hamlet head, and up to the village level,” he said.

The boy’s actions were often discovered by residents. According to Anif, the community wanted him rehabilitated because they still cared for him. “The child was often caught stealing, but no one filed a police report, and matters were settled amicably. The residents care for him and want to ensure he does not commit criminal acts when he is older,” he said.

The child was also deemed to lack full attention from his parents. He reportedly lived with his grandparents because both parents worked. His father is a construction worker and his mother trades at the market. The parents were overwhelmed by the child’s behaviour. “So the child only sees his parents in the late afternoon. His parents have also asked him to go back to school, but he refuses,” he said.

The decision to take the child to the rehabilitation home was the result of lengthy discussions. The neighbourhood, hamlet, and village officials had repeatedly counselled the boy and asked him to return to school, but he remained defiant. “Because he frequently stole, we consulted the Social Services and finally got a solution to either take him to the juvenile detention centre in Wonosari or have him mentored at Sentra Antasena Magelang. After coordinating with his parents, they agreed to send him to Magelang,” he said.

Anif said the child initially did not refuse when he was to be registered at the child rehabilitation centre. The family eventually processed the registration for the boy’s mentoring at Sentra Antasena Magelang. “At that time the child was okay with it, but on Wednesday he suddenly refused and instead hid above the ceiling,” he said.

Village officials and officers arrived at the boy’s house to pick him up for Antasena Magelang. However, the boy was not visible in the house and was found hiding in the ceiling. “I arrived there at 7.30 am WIB and he had already climbed a cupboard and was hiding above the ceiling. I then coaxed the child, but he refused to come down,” Anif said.

Officers took turns climbing into the ceiling to persuade the boy to come down. After about half an hour, the boy finally agreed to descend. “He finally came down after being persuaded that his hobby could be channelled at Sentra Antasena Magelang. But he still did not want to be taken to Magelang,” he said.

Anif continued to coax the boy and engaged him in conversation. During the talk, Anif suggested that the boy not make the pick-up difficult because it was all for his own good. Moreover, the boy’s parents had already given up trying to manage his behaviour. “Then I told him that if he refused, he might be mobbed if caught by the community again. Because so far, the community has never taken matters into their own hands with this child, but there are limits to everything,” he said.

After the conversation, the boy still refused to leave for Magelang. However, the officers ultimately took him to Magelang anyway. “But he still refused even after being coaxed in various ways, so in the end the child was still picked up to be taken to Sentra Antasena Magelang. It was all for the child’s own good,” he said.