Ex-Boss's Strategy to Prevent Taufik Hidayat from Fleeing Again

A former boss named Dadang Ahyar Ismail (53) played a key role in the arrest of Taufik Hidayat, a suspect in the abuse and confinement of his girlfriend. Persuasive negotiations by Dadang led to Taufik being apprehended at a housing complex in Ciparay District, Bandung Regency.

Dadang recounted that Taufik repeatedly contacted him via WhatsApp using different numbers. In these conversations, Taufik admitted feeling pressured because his case had gone viral on social media and had even asked for protection.

“So I said, look, if you keep running, if you’re lucky you’ll be running until you’re an old man, you’ll be exhausted,” Dadang said at his residence in Ciparay, as reported by detikJabar on Wednesday (24/6/2026).

Dadang warned the suspect that hiding while under public scrutiny was highly risky. He gave Taufik a logical choice: surrender peacefully or face the risk of forced capture by residents or the police.

“You choose which one you want. He thought about it for a long time. Until finally yesterday, he said, ‘Alright, Sir, I’ll follow you, I want to surrender.’ So, if you’re surrendering, I’ll call the authorities. As it happened, I called Mr Hendi, from the police. I coordinated with Mr Hendi,” he said.

Although Taufik had stated his intention, Dadang said he remained cautious and devised a strategy to ensure the suspect would actually follow through.

“But I still had to strategise how to make sure he really surrendered, because every time he called, he used a different number,” he added.

Dadang continued to stress that Taufik should be cooperative. Eventually, the suspect agreed to come directly to Dadang’s house to surrender to the authorities.

“So, as it happened, he called again, ‘Sir, I want to surrender now.’ I told him, you have to be cooperative. ‘Oh yes, God willing, I’ll be cooperative,’” Dadang said.

According to Dadang, Taufik came to his house on Tuesday morning while he was at work, but then left again. The suspect only returned in the afternoon to surrender officially in the presence of police officers who were already on standby.

“So in the morning he came here by motorbike, then left again. Finally, in the afternoon, he was cooperative and truly surrendered. Mr Hendi was already waiting here and brought him inside the house first,” he explained.

After being secured, Taufik was taken to Majalaya Police Station before being transferred to the West Java Regional Police Headquarters. Dadang also accompanied the process at the suspect’s request.