West Jakarta Social Services Hunt Woman Suspected PPKS Recipient After Viral Food Payment Refusals

Wed, 25 Feb 2026, 08:48 WIB | Source: ANTARA_ID | Social Policy

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The West Jakarta Social Service Sub-district is searching for a woman who has gone viral on social media for repeatedly refusing to pay for meals, online motorcycle taxis (ojek online or ojol), and minibuses.

The Head of the West Jakarta Social Service Sub-district, Fajar Laksono, stated that his officers have been deployed to the field to locate the woman, who is suspected of being a recipient of social welfare services (Penerlu Pelayanan Kesejahteraan Sosial or PPKS).

“Regarding the report about this resident, we took action on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and have been conducting regular searches,” said Fajar when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The search is being conducted by the Social Supervision and Control Service Task Force (Satuan Tugas Pelayanan Pengawasan dan Pengendalian Sosial or Satgas P3S) at the Cengkareng and Kalideres monitoring points, with the aim of bringing the woman to a social shelter.

“The team has been asking and gathering information from vendors and motorcycle taxi drivers, but they have never seen her and no one recognizes her,” said Fajar.

The owner of a stall in the Jalan Srengseng Raya area, Kembangan, West Jakarta, expressed her anger after being the victim of a woman who fled after eating at her stall.

Zahra (22), the stall attendant, said that the incident began when the woman took shelter in her stall during a rain shower on Sunday afternoon (February 22).

“It started raining, so I tilted the bench in front to prevent it from getting wet. Then suddenly, there was a loud noise. I looked to see what it was, and suddenly she was sitting there,” Zahra said at the location on Tuesday.

At that time, Zahra thought the woman just wanted to take shelter while waiting for a minibus in front of the stall.

However, as the rain intensified, the woman entered the stall and pointed to a packet of coffee without saying anything.

Zahra even initially thought the customer might have difficulty speaking.

“She pointed to the coffee, but she just pointed and didn’t say anything. I asked which one she wanted, and then she finally said ‘warm,’ so I made her one. While I was making it, she also took some snacks. But she didn’t say anything to me,” said Zahra.

In terms of appearance, Zahra said that the woman did not show any signs of being a person with a mental disorder (Orang Dengan Gangguan Jiwa or ODGJ). She assessed that her behaviour was like that of a typical customer, appearing very sane, dressed neatly, and even smelling nice, as if she was about to go on a trip.

However, Zahra’s suspicions began to arise after the coffee was made, and the woman immediately walked out without saying a word and sat back down on the bench in front, chewing on the snacks she had taken.

Zahra, who was now suspicious, sat down in front of the stall to monitor the customer’s movements.

“Then, when a minibus arrived, she suddenly walked away, fleeing without saying anything. I chased after her, saying, ‘Ma’am, you haven’t paid me yet.’ Then she said, ‘No, what are you talking about? What are you talking about? I’m just asking, I’m just asking,’” she said.

Zahra even asked the minibus driver not to let the woman board because she hadn’t paid for her order. The woman still insisted on not paying, arguing that she was only asking for coffee and snacks, not buying them.

Zahra replied to that argument firmly, because from the beginning, the woman had never expressed her intention to ask for them for free.

When Zahra stopped her, the woman continued to resist and try to escape. Feeling overwhelmed, Zahra finally asked for help from the workers at the motorcycle washing station next to her stall.

The presence of the men, who immediately surrounded the area, apparently made the woman lose her nerve.

“I said, ‘Sir, she hasn’t paid yet, please help me. This person wants to run away.’ All the men came out, and when she was surrounded, she finally became afraid of me. That’s why, in the video, she even knelt down and apologized,” she said.

In the midst of the commotion, several residents who happened to be passing by immediately recognized the woman. They said that she was the same woman who had repeatedly refused to pay at other places.

Knowing the woman’s history, the residents around suggested that Zahra just let her go.

“Even though people say that just coffee won’t make you poor, I work, and it’s also quiet here during the fasting month, so having someone like that around is annoying,” she said.

After being let go, the woman left without saying thank you or a single word.

Regarding the video that eventually went viral, Zahra said that she initially recorded it only to submit it as evidence to her boss that there were items taken without being paid for.

However, because she was concerned about the woman’s repeated actions, she eventually decided to share it on social media, which led to it going viral.

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