East Jakarta Government Detains Two Beggars Dressed as Pocong Ghosts

The East Jakarta City Government, through the Social Affairs Sub-department, has detained two beggars operating in various locations across East Jakarta while dressed in ‘pocong’ (shroud ghost) costumes.

“We were conducting routine patrols when we encountered two beggars dressed as pocongs. Recently, this trend has gone viral and is becoming increasingly common, causing public anxiety. Therefore, we have taken them into custody,” said Kurniawan, Commander of the Social Service, Supervision, and Control (P3S) Unit of the East Jakarta Social Affairs Sub-department, in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He noted that the individuals needed to be detained because their method of using ghost costumes to attract attention in public spaces was disturbing the peace. The enforcement action is part of an ongoing effort to maintain public order and ensure community safety.

This phenomenon of beggars using pocong costumes has surged lately, leveraging social media trends to attract passersby and solicit donations. Following the detention, officers inspected the belongings of both individuals to ensure no dangerous items were present. While no hazardous objects were found, officers proceeded with data collection and guidance as part of the standard procedure for handling individuals with social welfare issues (PMKS).

One of the individuals, Tedy, admitted that his actions were inspired by viral social media content and that he had even rented the costume. He revealed that he had been performing this activity for about a month, frequenting busy streets, parks, and other crowded areas.

Tedy disclosed that the practice had been quite lucrative, claiming he could earn up to Rp200,000 a day. In addition to donations from sympathetic citizens, he also received money from content creators filming him for social media. Despite the frightening appearance, Tedy stated he lacked professional makeup skills and relied on simple tools to apply his own makeup before heading out.