Police hunt man posing as narcotics chief who fled with motorcycle in East Jakarta
Jakarta — Police are hunting a man suspected of committing fraud by impersonating a narcotics unit commander (Kasat Narkoba) of the Metro Jaya Police Regional Command and stealing a motorcycle from a motorcycle taxi driver in the Kramat Jati area of East Jakarta.
“We are still conducting a search for the suspect,” said AKP Fadoli, head of the criminal investigation unit at Kramat Jati Police Station, when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Monday.
He stated that police had gathered statements from several witnesses to determine the whereabouts of the man. Two witnesses have already been questioned by police. “We have interviewed two witnesses, fuel station security personnel,” said Fadoli.
Statements from the petrol station security officers are expected to help the investigation, including identifying the suspect’s characteristics and the sequence of events at the location. Investigators are continuing their inquiry, including gathering additional evidence and reviewing CCTV footage from around the crime scene.
“Yes, the incident did happen at the petrol station here. The suspect came to the fuel station, claiming to be from the narcotics unit of the Metro Jaya Police Regional Command to take the victim’s motorcycle,” said Agus Sunarya (50), a security officer at SPBU 34.135.06 Makasar in East Jakarta, on Monday.
The alleged crime occurred on Friday evening, 27 February, at approximately 21:30 WIB (Western Indonesian Time). A man arrived at the petrol station riding pillion with the victim on a motorcycle. The suspect arrived with the victim, who was identified as a motorcycle taxi driver.
The victim only returned to the fuel station the following day, Saturday, 28 February, to ask whether security staff recognised the suspect. At that time, the victim claimed to have been hypnotised and his motorcycle had been stolen.
“The alleged suspect asked to be taken to Makasar Police Station and claimed to be a narcotics unit commander from the Metro Jaya Police Regional Command who was in the process of arresting drug suspects. When the suspect dropped by, he promised to pay the ojek fare to the victim of Rp300,000,” explained Fadoli.
The alleged hypnosis crime went viral on Instagram social media account @info_pinang_ranti. CCTV footage shows the suspected perpetrator wearing all-black clothing and glasses.
According to the account, the motorcycle taken was a 2019 Honda Beat with licence plate number B 5449 TBS.
After regaining awareness, the victim walked from Jalan Langgar, Kramat Jati, to Makasar Police Station to file a report.
One day after the incident, officers from Kramat Jati Police Station visited the fuel station to request statements and review CCTV footage to clarify the sequence of events. “On Saturday, 28 February, officers from Kramat Jati Police Station came here, asked for statements, requested a complete chronology, and reviewed the CCTV footage,” said Agus.