Mugger in West Jakarta Poses as Helping Elderly Faint Victim; His Confession Comes as a Surprise
Jakarta, VIVA - A mugger with the initials BAS (28) who pretended to help his victim after attempting to snatch her belongings has been captured by police. The victim was an elderly woman who fainted following the incident.
The incident occurred in Jelambar Baru, Grogol Petamburan, West Jakarta. It happened on Monday, 2 March 2026, in Pakuwon Complex in front of the GKI Jelambar Baru church.
Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Grogol Petamburan Police Precinct, Ajun Komisaris Polisi Alexander Tengbunan, said: “The perpetrator initials BAS (28) from Teluk Gong, North Jakarta. He pretended to help after trying to steal the victim’s belongings. He panicked as the victim fainted,” he said, quoted on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.
Based on CCTV footage, the suspect was seen wearing an online rider’s jacket. He then paused beside the walking victim. The suspect grabbed the victim’s bag, but the woman, later identified as LSJ, held on to her property. The suspect, unwilling to concede, kept pulling the bag while riding his motorcycle. Although the bag could not be taken, the victim fell heavily to the ground and lost consciousness.
Alex said that upon seeing the victim fall unconscious, the suspect panicked and returned to the scene. “Before returning to the location, the suspect had swapped his ojol helmet for another helmet,” he added.
But locals suspicious of the suspect’s behaviour managed to detain him. Referring to CCTV footage, the motorcycle and BAS’s jacket matched those worn by the mugger. “He had briefly changed his helmet; initially during the act he wore an ojol helmet, then pretended to help with a regular helmet. We showed several CCTV recordings and eventually he admitted to his actions,” he said.
To the police, the suspect claimed it was an error of judgement and that he needed money to buy Lebaran clothes, thereby robbing the bag from the elderly woman containing two mobile phones, an e-money card, house keys, cash amounting to Rp891,000, and some coins.
Police also seized the suspect’s evidence: a Honda Beat motorcycle with plate B 4285 UGA, an ojol helmet and a black-pattern helmet, sandals and an ojol jacket in line with CCTV footage, he said. For his actions, he was charged under Article 479 of the Indonesian Penal Code for robbery with violence, carrying a maximum penalty of 12 years’ imprisonment. (Ant)