Jakarta Crime Roundup: French Tourist Robbed, New Suspect Detained in Ministry Corruption Case

A number of security-related events occurred in Jakarta on Tuesday. Police arrested a mugger who stole a mobile phone from a French tourist in the Kota Tua area of West Jakarta. The incident took place on Monday afternoon while the victim was sightseeing. The perpetrator suddenly grabbed the tourist’s phone while they were taking a selfie and fled, but was later apprehended by officers while still loitering in the tourist area looking for new targets.

In a separate development, the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office has named and detained a new suspect, identified by the initials JND, in connection with an alleged corruption case. The case involves the implementation of routine expenditure at the Secretariat of the Directorate General of Human Settlements within the Ministry of Public Works for the 2023-2024 period. The suspect has been detained at the Cipinang Class I State Detention Centre for an initial period of twenty days.

Elsewhere, a dispute between a police officer and a member of the Jakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD DKI) in West Jakarta ended peacefully. The altercation reportedly stemmed from the council member allegedly forcing their way into the Transjakarta bus lane. The Traffic Unit of the West Jakarta Metro Police confirmed that the matter was resolved amicably and both parties had apologised to each other.

In South Jakarta, police arrested a seller of illegal hard drugs, specifically tramadol, on Jalan Raya Lenteng Agung, Jagakarsa. The arrest was part of a firm crackdown on narcotics abuse. Local residents had previously sealed the shop, which was selling the medication freely without a permit, before police moved in to apprehend the seller.

Finally, the North Jakarta Metro Police and Koja Sector Police arrested a man for motorcycle theft. The suspect, identified as FF, used a modus operandi of befriending his female victim on social media. He pretended to get close to the victim through Facebook and invited her to meet, subsequently stealing her motorcycle in the Koja area.