Trail of a Woman Pretending to Mourn to Steal Condolence Money
A woman suspected of stealing condolence money in the Kramat Jati district of East Jakarta is still being sought by police. The suspect has been identified and traces of her movements have been found. Police are continuing to investigate the case, with a clear lead emerging.
The identity of the woman was established from CCTV footage near the scene, at Jalan Dukuh IV, Kampung Dukuh, Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. A facial sketch was prepared as part of the investigation.
“The case is not yet conclusive; we are still examining a facial sketch,” said AKP Fadoli, head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at Kramat Jati Police, on Friday (6 March 2026).
Suspect’s domicile identified
The facial sketch was drawn from witness statements and CCTV footage from around the scene of the incident. At present, police believe the suspect has fled after a video of her circulated widely on social media. Police have traced a possible home address for the suspect.
“She is only suspected to have an address in Palembang,” he said.
The condolence money collected at the house of mourning was taken by the suspect. However, the total value of the loss is not yet known.
“Because the envelopes contained community contributions, the family had not yet opened or counted them, so the amount remained unknown,” said Fadoli.
Trail of the fake mourning case
Police have already tracked the footprint of this theft case. The woman is suspected of having carried out similar thefts on three occasions.
“Yes, the same as the two previous incidents,” he confirmed.
Police allege the woman carried out the actions in three different locations. All three thefts followed the modus operandi of pretending to mourn.
“Indeed, the case and the perpetrator are the same,” he added.
In all three incidents, the suspect is alleged to have targeted funeral homes and taken advantage of bereavement to carry out the thefts. According to preliminary investigations, the suspect attended the home of mourning posing as an acquaintance of the deceased’s family.
She blended in with other mourners to avoid suspicion. When the opportunity arose, she is believed to have taken the condolence money collected from guests.
Two prior incidents took place on Jalan Damai, Lubang Buaya, on 22 December 2025, and on Jalan Bambu Kuning, Bambu Apus, on 4 February 2026.
Latest developments
The latest incident involved the family of Nyai Hasanah (45). The event occurred on Monday (2 March) at around 12:30 local time at the house of mourning on Jalan Dukuh IV, Kampung Dukuh, Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.
“The suspect is a woman; she claimed to be visiting and knew us. The condolence money disappeared entirely,” Hasanah said at the scene.
Hasanah’s mother-in-law died around 04:00 local time. The suspect arrived around 08:00 when the house was still quiet and mourners had not yet begun arriving.
The suspect remained until just before the funeral. While inside the house, she sat and occasionally surveyed the surroundings.
To the bereaved family, the woman claimed to be a friend of the sister-in-law and referred to herself as a “fellow struggler” when taking the social assistance such as staple foods and KJP.
Hasanah did not suspect anything since she believed the woman knew the family. The woman then stole the condolence money after claiming she needed to use the toilet.
The family only realised the loss around 12:30 local time. Residents pursued the suspect, but she had already escaped.
Video footage of the woman circulated on social media. CCTV captured the suspect fleeing the scene after carrying out the act.