Jakarta Metropolitan Police Arrest Laptop Thief Who Used Lanyard Disguise at Five-Star Hotels

Police have arrested a laptop thief who used a lanyard as a disguise at a five-star hotel in the Karet area of Central Jakarta. The suspect has been identified as a man with the initials NW (43).

“The Mobile Crime Sub-directorate of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police’s General Crime Directorate has arrested a man with the initials NW (43), suspected of carrying out thefts at several luxury hotels in Jakarta,” said Jakarta Metropolitan Police Public Relations Chief Commissioner Budi Hermanto on Monday (16/2/2026).

“The suspect operated by disguising himself as an employee or event participant, wearing batik and a lanyard to avoid raising suspicion,” he added.

The suspect was apprehended on Friday (13/2) in the Matraman area of East Jakarta after his identity was uncovered. A number of items of evidence were also seized during the arrest.

“Police confiscated several items of evidence, including one laptop belonging to the victim, a lanyard, sunglasses, a black bag, a batik shirt, jeans, and shoes used during the crime,” he detailed.

Previously, the Central Jakarta Metropolitan Police had been investigating the laptop theft involving a lanyard-wearing suspect at a five-star hotel in the Karet area of Central Jakarta. Police had revealed they had already identified the suspected perpetrator.

“Yes, we have identified him. There is strong suspicion regarding the suspect,” said Central Jakarta Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Unit Chief Senior Commissioner Roby Saputra when asked for confirmation on Thursday (12/2).

Roby stated that preliminary investigations revealed the suspect had been spotted at three different hotels. He also noted that the suspect was believed not to have acted alone.

“From our examination, the suspect had been at several different hotels on multiple occasions. We know of three hotels. And there is a possibility he was not working alone,” Roby explained.

The incident went viral on social media. In widely circulated CCTV footage, the suspect could be seen entering the hotel through the lobby entrance, where he was greeted by a bell boy who held the door open for him.

The suspect was wearing a long-sleeved batik shirt and spectacles. The man was also wearing a lanyard hanging around his neck.