Lawyers Claim Losses in Juwuk Legi Chicken Theft Case Reach Hundreds of Millions of Rupiah

The legal team for residents of Banjar Juwuk Legi, Tabanan, Bali, has recorded that a series of chicken thefts have resulted in total losses reaching hundreds of millions of rupiah. According to the lawyers, there have been at least nine cases of theft since 2023, with the perpetrators targeting imported and fighting cocks owned by the residents.

“These are not ordinary chickens. They are imported and fighting cocks, which can be worth millions of rupiah each. When you add up the cases from 2023 to 2026, the community’s losses have reached hundreds of millions of rupiah,” revealed lawyer Gede Sumarjaya in Denpasar on Thursday. He noted that in some instances, residents lost several chickens at once, with one case involving the theft of a dozen birds.

The repeated thefts prompted residents to install barriers at various access points to the Juwuk Legi area to prevent outsiders from entering at night, but the measure proved ineffective. The situation escalated on 24 July, when a suspected thief identified as KD died after being mobbed by residents. The legal team stated that KD was handed over to the police while still alive.

Regarding the fatal mob attack, the lawyers raised questions about the presence of outsiders during the incident. They claim to have obtained statements indicating that individuals from outside Juwuk Legi also participated in the violence against KD. “We found statements from two people that besides the residents of Juwuk Legi who secured and subdued the perpetrator, there were other people from outside the area who allegedly committed violence,” Sumarjaya said during a press conference. He questioned how approximately 20 outsiders could be present at the location in the middle of the night, suggesting they may have been alerted beforehand. Police have so far named five residents of Juwuk Legi as suspects in the fatal assault.