Residents Disturbed for Years, Thought to Be a Dealer but Actually a Warehouse of 1,494 Illegal Motorcycles

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The practice of receiving stolen goods in a motorcycle warehouse located in the middle of a residential area on Jalan Kemandoran VIII, Grogol Utara, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, has finally been uncovered after years of operation. A total of 1,494 motorcycles were seized, while the company’s managing director was detained. Police stated that the motorcycles there were obtained illegally, harming the state. This illegal practice went unnoticed by local residents, with no suspicious activities observed other than the warehouse being quite enclosed and frequently visited by large container trucks. The local RW chairman revealed that the warehouse never had permission to operate there. Police seized 1,494 motorcycles during the raid on the warehouse suspected of being used as an illegal receiving site in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. The Head of Public Relations of Metro Jaya Police, Senior Commissioner Pol Budi Hermanto, detailed that the seized vehicles consisted of 957 intact motorcycles and 537 motorcycles that had been disassembled into parts. “These vehicles originate from various criminal acts. Some vehicles were also disassembled into components to make them easier to package or disguise,” Budi said during a press conference at the location on Monday (11/5/2026). According to Budi, these thousands of motorcycles were intended for sale abroad, such as to Tahiti and Togo in Africa. The practice came to light following a report from residents. Police then conducted further investigations and immediately arrested the director of PT Indobike 26, initialled WS, who managed the warehouse. WS has now been named a suspect for various alleged criminal acts, from receiving stolen goods to money laundering. Meanwhile, the Director of General Criminal Investigation of Metro Jaya Police, Senior Commissioner Pol Iman Imanudin, stated that the state suffered losses of Rp 177 billion from potential taxes and customs duties. “Motorcycles originating from diversions or illegal acts have the potential to harm the state’s finances by Rp 177 billion, which is the tax payments that should have been received by the state,” Iman explained.