Debt-ridden specialist in vacant house thefts steals MacBook in West Jakarta's Cengkareng

JAKARTA - West Jakarta Metro Police’s Satreskrim Resmob unit arrested a man identified as A, a specialist in thefts of vacant houses in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The suspect was apprehended after his theft of a MacBook laptop at a rental property in Duri Kosambi on Monday (11 May 2026) around 8am was captured on CCTV and went viral on social media. Resmob unit head Assistant Commissioner GeorgeRuben stated that the suspect was detained at his residence in Cengkareng on Friday (29 May 2026) afternoon. CCTV footage showed the suspect parking a red Honda Vario motorcycle in front of a rental property before entering the premises to observe surroundings. He then emerged with a MacBook laptop, which he placed in the motorcycle’s trunk before fleeing. Ruben explained that the suspect planned actions by surveillance over several days. One modus operandi was pretending to ask for directions to assess the area. “His modus operandi is to arrive at the rental property and the day before, pretend to ask for directions. He repeatedly queries the address to familiarise himself with the surroundings,” said Ruben. “He scouts the area multiple times; if the place is unoccupied or quiet, he enters to steal belongings inside.” After the theft, the suspect attempted to erase traces by repainted his motorcycle from red to white and using a fake license plate. According to the victim, the stolen laptop was valued at approximately Rp 31 million, but the suspect sold it for only Rp 2 million to an unknown individual.