Viral Snatch Theft of New Zealand Tourist in Kuta Prompts Police Manhunt
A snatch theft targeting a foreign national in the Underpass Tuban area of Kuta, Badung, Bali, has gone viral on social media. The perpetrator, riding a motorcycle, was recorded by a car’s dashboard camera snatching the victim’s iPhone before fleeing towards the Ngurah Rai Statue Roundabout. Police are now hunting the suspect.
The case gained widespread attention after video footage of the robbery circulated online. In the recording taken on Friday (12/6/2026), the perpetrator is seen tailing the victim, who was riding pillion, before closing in and grabbing her mobile phone.
“Regarding this information, the Kuta Police Sector has received a report and is still conducting further investigation,” said Denpasar Police Public Relations Head, Iptu I Gede Adi Saputra Jaya, on Sunday (14/6/2026).
The victim has been identified by the initials MBE (26), a woman from New Zealand. She reported losing her phone after becoming a victim of the snatch theft as seen in the viral video.
“The victim lost a dark blue iPhone 17 Pro Max. The incident occurred around 4:55 PM Central Indonesian Time,” he explained.
According to the victim’s account, she was riding pillion with a friend heading north at the time of the incident. She was using her phone to view Google Maps for directions to their destination.
During the journey, an unknown man riding a black Yamaha NMax motorcycle approached the victim from the right side.
“From the right side, the perpetrator then snatched the mobile phone before fleeing at high speed,” Adi stated.
In the dashboard camera footage, the perpetrator is seen wearing a jacket and black helmet along with shorts. The motorcycle used also appeared to have a Bali registration plate (DK).
After seizing the victim’s phone, the perpetrator briefly wobbled but immediately accelerated away from the scene.
As a result of the incident, the victim suffered a loss of approximately Rp 17 million. The report received by the police is currently still in the form of a public complaint.
“It is still a public complaint. However, the Kuta Police Sector is conducting an investigation to uncover the perpetrator,” concluded Gede Adi.