Police Uncover Payment Schemes for August 27 Riot Participants
The Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police (Polda Metro Jaya) have uncovered three funding and mobilisation clusters during the investigation into the riots that occurred in Jakarta on 27 August 2026.
In two of these clusters, police discovered alleged payments made to participants amounting to Rp40,000 and Rpint 70,000 per person, respectively.
“As a result of the investigation’s development, we have found legal facts regarding the parties involved in the funding and mobilisation of the masses,” said the Director of General Criminal Investigation of Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Pol Iman Imanuddin, during a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday.
Iman explained that in the first cluster, riot suspects received funding from a field coordinator, identified by the initials JT, at a rate of Rp40,000 per person. According to the police, JT received orders from an individual with the initials PKL. Furthermore, PKL is said to have received orders from KHT, also known as HY, while KHT allegedly received orders from SO. The police are still investigating the involvement and role of each party within this chain.
In the second cluster, investigators found alleged funding through a field coordinator, identified by the initials ER, who is a student at a university in Jakarta. “In cluster two, we found findings from a field coordinator named ER. We are also conducting further investigations, as Mr ER, a university student in Jakarta, promised or prepared funds of Rp70,000 per head,” said Iman.
According to the police, ER allegedly received orders from a legal entity based in Jakarta. However, investigators have not yet disclosed the identity of this legal entity as the investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the third cluster involves three individuals, identified by the initials B, N, and P, who have been named suspects in a case of alleged child exploitation. According to Iman, the three are suspected of mobilising and providing payments to children brought in to participate in the riots.
The three suspects are currently undergoing investigation by the Directorate of Protection of Women and Children and Eradication of Human Trafficking (Ditres PPA and PPO) of Polda Metro Jaya and have been detained.
“We will not stop here, and we will continue to deepen our investigation into the actors driving and providing the funds to carry out the riots,” he said.
Iman emphasised that the handling of the riot case is not related to the activities of expressing opinions in public or peaceful demonstrations.
Polda Metro Jaya previously stated on Wednesday (2/9) that they were still investigating the suspected existence of intellectual actors, funders, and mobilisers in the riots that occurred in Jakarta on Thursday (27/8). At that time, police stated that based on preliminary findings, there were suspicions of organised mass mobilisation.
In handling the cluster involving children, the police are applying Article 76H in conjunction with Article 87 of Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection. Investigators are also applying Article 76I in conjunction with Article 88 of the same law regarding the alleged economic exploitation of children.