Police say donation-box thief in Pesanggrahan pretended to pray

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Police have exposed the modus operandi of a thief who stole donation boxes from several mushallas in the Pesanggrahan area of South Jakarta, who pretended to perform the Asr prayer before carrying out the theft.

Head of Public Relations at the South Jakarta Metropolitan Police, AKP Joko Adi, said the offender used the ruse of praying Asr. The suspect, identified by the initials AK, was arrested on Monday (18 May) at around 16:45 WIB after allegedly stealing a donation box at Mushala As-Syukur, Gang Haji Liun, Petukangan Utara, Pesanggrahan.

CCTV footage captured the act, including the moment he pretended to pray in the mushalla. After locals detained him and handed him over to the police, the case was taken up by the Pesanggrahan Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit. From questioning, the suspect is known to have operated at several other locations with similar targets.

Police noted at least three other sites associated with the same method: Mushala Nurul Fajri in Petukangan Selatan; Mushala Nurul Hikmah in Petukangan Utara; and several mushallas in the Ciledug area, Tangerang City.

‘We can say this due to the modus operandi and the times around the Asr prayer,’ he said. He added that the suspect chose times before Maghrib when the mosques are typically quiet. During the heists, the suspect used multiple keys to open the donation boxes; police recovered many keys upon arrest.

The stolen money at the various locations totalled around Rp1,650,000, comprising Rp750,000 at Mushala As-Syukur, Rp500,000 at Mushala Nurul Fajri, and Rp400,000 at Mushala Nurul Hikmah.

Joko said the motive is believed to be economic need: ‘Because of necessity, it becomes a shortcut; anything is done, even looting donation boxes.’ Police urged mosque and musholla managers to bolster security and for worshippers to remain vigilant.