West Jakarta Stall Owner Recounts Incident with Woman Viral for Repeated Non-Payment

A woman who went viral for repeatedly eating, drinking, and using ride-hailing services without paying is causing concern among residents in West Jakarta. Zahra, 22, a stall owner in Srengseng, West Jakarta, recounted the moment she chased after the woman after she refused to pay for a drink.

She said the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, February 22, 2026. At that time, she said, the woman suddenly sat down in front of Zahra’s stall.

“It was Sunday, around 11 or 12 o’clock. It had been raining all day, so I moved the chairs in front to avoid the rain. I was fighting off sleep when I suddenly heard brakes screech, and there was a woman sitting there. I thought, ‘Why didn’t this person ask permission?’ She just sat down without saying anything, but I let it go,” Zahra said at her stall on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

She said the woman went inside, near the stall’s entrance, as the rain intensified. She then pointed at the sachets of drinks on display, without saying anything.

“She just pointed. I asked, ‘Hot or cold?’, and she said, ‘Warm’. So, I made it for her. As I was making the coffee, she took a snack,” Zahra explained.

The woman then asked Zahra to add more water to her drink because it wasn’t enough. After the order was ready, the woman sat down and ate the snack.

Zahra admitted that she was suspicious of the woman, so she kept watching her from the front of the stall. Soon after, she said, the woman suddenly got up from her seat as a minibus passed by.

“Because I was suspicious, I stayed here (in front of the stall), watching her. I thought, ‘This person isn’t going to pay.’ I waited and waited,” Zahra said.

She said the woman quickly got into the minibus. Zahra said she immediately shouted and chased after her.

“Soon after, a minibus came. She just got in, and I shouted, ‘Ma’am, you haven’t paid me yet.’ Then, when the minibus stopped, I told the driver, ‘Sir, don’t let her in, she hasn’t paid me.’ The minibus then drove off,” Zahra said.

After failing to get into the minibus, the woman tried to run away in another direction. Zahra pulled her back and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.

“I pulled her back and said, ‘Pay first, I don’t care, you have to pay. I work here, and I have a boss,’” Zahra said, imitating what she said at the time.

When asked to pay, the woman became angry and claimed that she hadn’t bought anything, but was just ‘asking’. She admitted that she argued with the woman.

“She insisted on not paying. She said, ‘I was just asking, I said I was asking.’ I said, ‘No, you didn’t say you were asking. If you had said you were asking, I would have given it to you,’” Zahra said.

Zahra eventually called for help from other residents to restrain the woman. At that point, the woman finally started to apologise.

The commotion on the side of the road attracted the attention of nearby residents. It was then that one of the residents recognised the woman as the same person who had gone viral on social media for similar incidents in the Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) area.

“Someone passing by said, ‘Ma’am, that’s the woman who went viral in PIK.’ I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve been had.’ Then, when someone else mentioned it, I decided to film it. That’s why the video is in segments; I hadn’t thought about filming it when she was yelling,” she said.

Although she had restrained the woman, Zahra eventually decided to let her go. Zahra’s boss, or the stall owner, also decided to forgive the incident as an act of charity.

“My boss also said, ‘It’s okay, let her go, consider it an act of charity,’” she said.

Being Hunted by the West Jakarta City Government

Now, the West Jakarta Social Service (Sudinsos Jakbar) is looking for the woman who went viral on social media for repeatedly not paying for food, ride-hailing services, and minibuses. The Head of the West Jakarta Social Service, Fajar Laksono, said that he had received several reports.

As reported by Antara on Tuesday, February 24, he ordered the West Jakarta Social Service officers to track down the woman, who is suspected of being a person in need of social welfare services (PPKS).

“Regarding the reports about this resident, we have taken action on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and we are conducting periodic searches,” said Fajar.

The search, he said, is being carried out by the Social Supervision and Control Service Task Force (Satgas P3S) in Cengkareng and Kalideres. The joint team will take the woman to a social shelter if she is found.

“Officers are urging ride-hailing drivers to bring the woman to the nearest Social Service post if they pick her up as a passenger, so that further assistance can be provided,” said Fajar.