Two Men Arrested for Sticking Online Gambling Barcodes at South Jakarta Coffee Shop

Police have arrested two men who affixed barcodes containing links to online gambling websites at a coffee shop in Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta. The pair were apprehended after their actions went viral on social media.

“Yes, they have been arrested,” Pesanggrahan Police Chief Kompol Seala Syah Alam told reporters on Wednesday (18/2/2026).

Seala said his team is still questioning the two suspects. He believes the perpetrators did not act alone but are part of a wider network.

“We are developing the investigation down to the roots so that there are no further victims,” Seala said.

A video recording narrating the actions of the two men sticking barcodes in the Pesanggrahan area of South Jakarta had previously gone viral on social media. The barcodes were reportedly linked to online gambling websites.

In the circulating footage, one of the men can be seen making a gesture of sticking something onto a table at the front of the coffee shop.

Shortly afterwards, the same man also affixed something to two motorbikes parked nearby, placing the items on the front section of the vehicles. The objects were said to be barcodes.

After affixing the suspected barcodes, the man then approached another man who appeared to be sitting and waiting on a motorbike near the location. The two then promptly left the scene.

The final portion of the video showed that the objects affixed by the man were indeed barcodes. When checked by the coffee shop attendant, the barcodes turned out to be links to online gambling websites.