Two Foreign Nationals Robbed in Central Jakarta in One Month – Be Aware of the Risks!

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Two cases of robbery targeting foreign nationals in Central Jakarta have occurred within a month. Both victims, from different countries, had their mobile phones stolen.

The latest incident involved a foreign national from Italy, identified as C.L., at the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout in Menteng, on Thursday (14/5/2026) afternoon. In a video that went viral on social media, the victim was seen standing on the side of the road at the HI roundabout while using their mobile phone. Shortly after, a man riding a red scooter approached and snatched the victim’s phone before fleeing. The victim attempted to chase the perpetrator and fell on the road.

The Head of Public Relations at the Central Jakarta Metro Police, Iptu Erlyn Sumantri, stated that the incident occurred around 4:10 PM. The victim then reported the incident to the Menteng Police Station that evening. Police are currently pursuing the perpetrator, who is believed to have acted alone using a scooter. The victim has been questioned, and the investigation is ongoing.

In a separate incident, the phone of Andrezej was also stolen in a robbery. However, the perpetrator was apprehended by the police, and the stolen item was returned to the victim. The case even went viral after the official Instagram account of the Menteng Police Station, @polsekmetromenteng_official, posted a video of Andrezej receiving his phone back from the police officers.

According to the Head of the Menteng Police Station, Braiel Arnold Rondonuwu, so far, the police have not found any indication that the two robberies were committed by the same group. “We have not yet found any evidence of a connection between the perpetrators or that they are part of a criminal group,” he said when contacted by Kompas.com via text message on Friday (15/5/2026).