Two Motorcycle Thieves Caught in Johar Baru, Previously Active in Sunter
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Two men identified as AW (26) and I (26), who were captured by residents while attempting to steal a motorcycle in Johar Baru, Central Jakarta, had earlier operated in North Jakarta.
From police investigations, the two knife-wielding men admitted they had stolen one motorcycle and hidden it in the Sunter area, North Jakarta.
Johar Baru Police Sector Chief Commissioner Saiful Anwar said the prior thefts were uncovered after investigators questioned the suspects.
‘Based on information from I, they had committed motorcycle thefts and parked the vehicle at the roadside in Sunter Kirana 4 Block U, Sunter, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta,’ Saiful said in a statement on Wednesday (4/3/2026).
Earlier reports stated AW and I had been named suspects in aggravated theft.
On Monday (2/4/2026), they were captured by residents while inside a house on Jalan Galur Selatan RT 004/RW 002, Kelurahan Galur, Kecamatan Johar Baru, Central Jakarta.
At the time, AW and I tried to take the motor from inside the house by forcibly damaging the vehicle keys.
However, the act had already been monitored by residents who were covertly watching from outside the victim’s dwelling. As they attempted to flee with the motor, residents immediately captured them.
‘Then they were taken to the RW 002 residents post, Galur, Johar Baru. Subsequently they were taken to the Johar Baru Police Station for further investigation and inquiry,’ Saiful said in a written statement on Wednesday.
During the arrest, police also seized a number of items as evidence.
For their actions, AW and I are charged under Section 363 of the Indonesian Penal Code (KUHP) concerning aggravated theft.
The theft committed by AW and I briefly went viral on social media on Wednesday. Video of their arrest circulated widely after being posted by the Instagram account @dashcamindonesia.
In the CCTV footage uploaded, two men are seen in front of a resident’s house. One man wears a black-and-white jacket and is atop a black motorcycle parked in front of the house.
Suddenly, a man in a white shirt ran out from the house opposite the road. He pushed the man in the black-and-white jacket toward the fence and attacked him with a round green object.
Shortly after, another man emerged from the same house and approached the man in the green jacket who was removing a motorcycle from the house’s veranda. The man attacked and kicked the suspected offender.
According to the post from @dashcamindonesia, the two men who were chased and captured by residents are suspected to be motorcycle thieves armed with knives. The two were eventually captured by residents before being handed over to the police.