Police Seize Avanza Veloz Bearing Russian Embassy Plates, Issue Traffic Citation

The Traffic Law Enforcement Sub-directorate of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) has seized a vehicle found to be using Russian Embassy diplomatic plates in Indonesia. The Avanza Veloz was impounded because the plates used did not match their registered purpose.

“Action was taken against an Avanza Veloz vehicle using Embassy plate number CD 37 04, which did not correspond to its designated use,” said Traffic Law Enforcement Sub-directorate Head AKBP Ojo Ruslani to reporters on Tuesday (24/2/2026).

Ojo explained that the enforcement action was carried out after police received a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding counterfeit diplomatic registration plates bearing the numbers CD 37 436 and CD 37 04. He said the Avanza Veloz was seized on the inner-city toll road this morning.

“It was secured on the Inner City Toll Road, Tegal Parang heading westbound, on Tuesday, 24 February 2026 at 08.15 Western Indonesian Time. The officer who made the seizure was AKP Suhari, Head of Highway Patrol Unit Jaya 1,” Ojo elaborated.

In further detail, Ojo explained that plate number CD 37 04 is indeed registered to the Embassy of the Russian Federation and is designated for a BMW vehicle. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said, received a report from the Russian Embassy that one of its staff members had spotted their plate number being used by someone else, prompting a report to the ministry.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the Traffic Corps Directorate of the National Police, copied to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Traffic Directorate,” Ojo stated.

Separately, he said, authorities also received a report of a counterfeit plate bearing the number CD 37 436. He noted that this plate number is fabricated — it is not registered and fraudulently uses the Russian Embassy code.

“Regarding CD 37 436, so there are two cases — staff discovered their plate number. 37 is the Russian Embassy code, but that one is fake, not registered with the Russian Embassy,” Ojo explained.

He indicated that the search for the vehicle bearing the counterfeit plate CD 37 436 is still ongoing. Meanwhile, the Avanza Veloz, which was using genuine Russian Embassy plates not matching their designated vehicle, has already been issued a traffic citation.

“A citation was issued, after which the case will be forwarded to the General Crimes Unit to follow up on the forgery aspect. The criminal dimension will be investigated further by the General Crimes Unit regarding the suspected forgery offence. The citation was issued under Article 280 of the Road Traffic and Transport Act for the use of registration plates not matching their designated purpose,” he added.

For reference, registration plates for the Russian Embassy in Indonesia carry the code CD 37, with the two digits following the code indicating the vehicle’s sequential registration number.