Man from Buleleng arrested for defrauding ogoh-ogoh costume orders
A case of alleged fraud and embezzlement involving orders for ogoh-ogoh costumes that caused losses to two youth groups in Sangsit Village, Sawan District, Buleleng Regency has been uncovered. Police apprehended the suspected perpetrator, Putu AW (also known as SBY), after he had gone missing and could not be contacted by the victims.
The Head of Public Relations at Buleleng Police Station, Inspector Yohana Rosalin Diaz, stated that the case was solved by the Criminal Investigation Unit of Sawan Police Station. “The Criminal Investigation Unit of Sawan Police Station has apprehended a suspect in connection with alleged fraud and or embezzlement related to the ordering of ogoh-ogoh costumes that caused losses to two youth groups in Sangsit Village,” said Yohana on Monday, 16 March 2026.
The case came to light after police received a report from the public. Sawan Police Chief First Inspector Kadek Robin Yohana subsequently instructed the operational team to conduct an investigation.
After examining several witnesses and gathering information, police obtained leads to Putu AW’s whereabouts at a warehouse on Buluh Indah Street in Denpasar.
The operational team moved to the location on Friday evening (13 March) and successfully arrested Putu AW on Saturday (14 March) at approximately 01:15 Western Indonesia Time. “The suspected perpetrator was then secured and brought to Sawan Police Station for further questioning,” Yohana explained.
From initial interrogation, the perpetrator admitted that the ogoh-ogoh costumes promised to the victims were never produced despite full payment being received. “Based on initial statements, the money received from the victims was not used to make ogoh-ogoh costumes, but was entirely spent on gambling,” she stated.
The case began in January 2026 when Komang Mahendra Wiryawan (18), Chairman of the STT Samudra Asri Banjar Pabean youth group in Sangsit Village, planned to create ogoh-ogoh costumes together with youth from his banjar (traditional community unit).
The victims were then introduced to someone who claimed to be able to make ogoh-ogoh costumes at a cheaper price, namely Putu AW (also known as SBY), who was also a resident of Sangsit Village.
Through social media communication, the perpetrator offered various benefits, including a low price plus a bonus of one crate of beer, six additional clothing items, a 3×1 metre banner, and stickers.
The victims were interested and ordered 145 ogoh-ogoh costumes with an agreed value of 8,415,000 rupiah.
However, after payment was made, the promised costumes never arrived. The perpetrator also could no longer be contacted via WhatsApp or social media.
In addition to STT Samudra Asri Banjar Pabean, which suffered losses of approximately 8 million rupiah, the STT Santi Raharja Inapti Banjar Sema youth group also suffered losses of 11.5 million rupiah from ordering ogoh-ogoh costumes from the same person.
The case is currently under investigation by Sawan Police Station to complete case files and explore the possibility of other victims.