Surabaya Police Chief Apologises After Viral Alleged Extortion, Offers 10-Fold Compensation

Social media users were recently stirred by a Threads post from a user who claimed she was asked for money by a police officer when retrieving a vehicle held as evidence in a traffic accident. The account owner, @tasyamarcella96, said she had to pay to collect the vehicle from a police station in Surabaya.

Tasya’s statement was made in reply to a post by the National Police Public Relations Division on Threads last Thursday. In that post, the police stressed that vehicles held as evidence in traffic accident cases can be retrieved free of charge.

The police also stated that vehicles or evidence whose handling has been completed, including after data verification and inspection, can be collected by their owners at no cost.

However, Tasya’s experience was different. She claimed she had to pay Rp1 million to retrieve her vehicle at the Surabaya Police headquarters.

“Retrieving accident evidence is FREE. Yes, it is free, but to get the vehicle release letter you have to pay,” she wrote in reply to the police public relations post.

Following the incident, Surabaya Police Chief Senior Commissioner Luthfie Sulistiawan spoke out. In a post on his personal Instagram account, Luthfie stressed that the officer involved would face strict sanctions from the police institution. In addition to disciplinary and ethical sanctions, Luthfie also requested that the officer be transferred or demoted.

“I will give a very harsh punishment because this person has tarnished the efforts of colleagues who have done good work, colleagues who have struggled to provide the best service to the public. I ask the internal affairs chief to process the person concerned with disciplinary and ethical measures, and the human resources chief to transfer and demote him,” he said, as quoted from his official Instagram account on Saturday, 29 August 2026.

Luthfie also asked the Surabaya Police Traffic Unit Chief to meet the victim directly. He said he would compensate the victim ten times the amount she had paid.

“Traffic chief, meet the victim who was asked for money. Tell her that I will compensate her tenfold. That is my commitment,” he said.