Modus operandi: Man poses as warung pecel lele employee to steal employer's motorcycle
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Police have uncovered a motorcycle theft case where suspect AR (27) posed as an employee at a warung pecel lele to steal his employer’s motorcycle on Jalan Gaharu in Cipete Selatan, Cilandak, South Jakarta.
“The modus operandi involved him working at a warung pecel lele,” said Cilandak Police Chief Kompol Gusprihatin Zen during a press conference at Cilandak Police Station on Monday.
Kompol Gusprihatin stated that suspect AR was arrested on Thursday, 21 May, at around 2:30 AM WIB.
He explained that the suspect’s modus operandi was posing as the victim’s employee.
The suspect waited for the victim to let their guard down and for the warung to be quiet. At that moment, he took the motorcycle keys and fled with the vehicle.
“After working for two or three days and once he deemed it safe, the suspect stole the warung owner’s parked motorcycle,” he said.
After receiving the report, Cilandak Police Station’s Reskrim Unit apprehended the suspect within hours of the theft.
The suspect was arrested while attempting to sell the stolen motorcycle via a cash-on-delivery (COD) transaction in Laladon, Bogor Regency.
Police also seized evidence, including a Honda PCX motorcycle, with estimated damages of approximately Rp35 million.
He added that the case was solved after the victim promptly reported it to Cilandak Police Station, prompting the Reskrim Unit’s Opsnal team to immediately pursue the suspect.
“Due to the swift police report, our Opsnal team acted promptly and apprehended the suspect in Bogor,” he said.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect acted alone, moving between jobs to find targets.
Police have charged the suspect under Article 477 of the Criminal Code for theft, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a Rp500 million fine.
It is also noted that the penalty could be increased to nine years due to the crime being committed at night.
The suspect is currently undergoing further questioning at Cilandak Police Station.