Rental Car Found Hidden in Buleleng Forest After GPS Disabled and Plates Swapped

A Mitsubishi Xpander that went missing after its GPS tracking system was disabled has been found hidden in a forest area in Sidatapa Village, Banjar District, Buleleng. When discovered, the vehicle’s licence plates had allegedly been replaced and its rental identity stickers removed.

The case first came to light through a post on the Instagram account @sadabalitrans. The post explained that the car was initially rented for two days, but the GPS tracker could no longer be located after just one day of use.

“The car was found at a house hidden in the forest. The condition of the car is very concerning. The interior is even mouldy because it has been hidden here for two weeks,” the video caption stated.

The rental owner also revealed that several parts of the vehicle had allegedly been altered. Besides the licence plates being swapped, the rental company’s stickers had been peeled off.

The evacuation process proved difficult. The remote location meant a tow truck could not reach the site, so the vehicle had to be manually pulled and pushed from the ravine to an accessible road. Once on the main road, the car was towed by a police vehicle to the station.

In the post, the rental owner expressed gratitude to the Buleleng Police Criminal Investigation Unit for their assistance in the search and evacuation.

Meanwhile, Buleleng Police Public Relations Head, Iptu Yohana Rosalin Diaz, confirmed that the embezzlement case is being handled by the Denpasar Police as the initial report was filed within their jurisdiction. “It is an embezzlement case reported to the Denpasar Police. Our report concerns the destruction of the GPS device,” she stated. Yohana added that investigators have interviewed several witnesses, but the reported individual has yet to be located. “We have interviewed witnesses, but the reported suspect has not been found; we have searched as far as Denpasar,” she concluded.