Police Halt Theft Investigation Reported by Lawyer BPT

Central Jakarta Metro Police have halted a case of alleged theft reported by a lawyer with the initials BPT against a young entrepreneur, VL. The report, registered under number LP/B/536/II/2026/SPKT/Polres Metro Jakarta Pusat/Polda Metro Jaya, was discontinued via a Notice of Investigation Termination (SP2 Lidik) dated 20 April 2026. “It is true (the case was halted) because the examination results showed the theft report did not fulfil the criminal elements at the time it was lodged,” said Central Jakarta Metro Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKBP Roby Heri Saputra on Monday (29/6). Roby also stated that the money allegedly stolen had actually been returned to the complainant. Therefore, the alleged theft case was discontinued. “(BPT) reported a theft when the stolen money had already been returned to the person concerned, even with a greater value, so it no longer met the elements of theft,” he said. On the other hand, the complainant and victim’s lawyer, Iskandar Halim Munthe, considers the police’s decision to halt the case premature, as the reported party, VL, has never been questioned. Iskandar explained the alleged theft began on 17 February 2026 when his client discovered suspicious transactions in his account. Based on account mutation data, between 05.23 WIB and 05.40 WIB, a series of transfers and cash withdrawals occurred, resulting in a loss of Rp19.25 million. After tracing the location of the ATM where the transactions took place, BTP visited the minimarket that was the scene of the incident and viewed the CCTV footage. Iskandar said the recording showed a person believed to be VL conducting transactions at the ATM at the exact time of all the transactions recorded in the victim’s account. Iskandar also stated the police had ignored a number of initial pieces of evidence submitted by the complainant, including account mutations, CCTV footage, and the suspected identity of the perpetrator. According to him, all this evidence should have been tested through the examination of the reported party and relevant witnesses before investigators reached a conclusion. “The investigation was halted before the party suspected of committing the theft was examined. Yet there is transaction evidence and CCTV footage that should have been tested through the examination of witnesses and the reported party. The conclusion that this case is not a criminal act becomes premature if the investigation has not been carried out thoroughly,” Iskandar said. In response to the investigation’s termination, Iskandar stated his party has filed complaints with the National Police Chief, the Police internal oversight body, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and 14 other agencies. “We request that the investigation be reopened, that VL and all relevant witnesses be examined, and that the investigators handling the case be evaluated,” he said.