Police Arrest Motorbike Thief Posing as Pecel Lele Staff in South Jakarta
Cilandak Police Chief Kompol Gusprihatin Zen stated that suspect AR had previously worked at a pecel lele stall before stealing the owner’s motorbike. AR was arrested on Thursday, 21 May 2026.
“The modus operandi involved the suspect working at a pecel lele stall for two or three days until it was deemed safe. He would then observe the situation, particularly the owner’s motorbike. Once parked, he would steal it,” Kompol Zen told reporters at Cilandak Police Station on Monday, 25 May 2026.
Zen added that the stolen motorbike was taken to Bogor, West Java, for sale by AR. He also confessed to carrying out similar thefts at 10 other locations.
“We apprehended him in Bogor during a cash-on-delivery transaction in the Laladon area. According to the suspect’s confession, he committed the crimes at 10 crime scenes as a solo operator. His method was to pretend to work at a pecel lele stall or restaurant before stealing the target items,” Zen said.
“The 10 crime scenes were in Bekasi, Depok, Cikarang, Tangerang, including Pasar Minggu,” he added.
Zen stated that AR had applied for jobs at several pecel lele stalls, enabling him to carry out motorcycle thefts across multiple locations.
“He applied for jobs, hence the 10 crime scenes. After working for two or three days, once he assessed the situation was favourable, he would immediately steal the motorbike,” he said.
Separately, Cilandak Police Station uncovered another motorcycle theft case on 6 April 2026 at Jalan KH Muhasyim II, Cilandak Barat. Police apprehended suspect DH.
“The incident occurred when the victim was resting at his boarding house on Jalan KH Muhasim II, RT 011/06, Cilandak Barat Village. He heard a motorbike engine starting, went outside, and found his bike missing from the parking area,” Zen said.
The victim promptly reported the incident to Cilandak Police Station, which led to DH’s arrest.
“The motorbike was still being pushed, so we secured it and brought it to the police station. That’s the suspect from Muhasim. We successfully recovered one Beat motorbike,” he said.
Cilandak Police Station also revealed another motorcycle theft case in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, on 19 April 2026, leading to the arrest of suspect SBR.
“From SBR, we secured evidence including one motorbike, 12 T-shaped lock picks, two T-keys, two magnets, and a Yamaha Gear motorbike,” he said.
All three suspects are currently detained at Cilandak Police Station for further processing. They face charges under Article 477 of the Criminal Code, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years in prison or a fine of up to Rp 500 million.