West Jakarta Vendor Appeals for Arrest of Serial Food-Dodger

A woman’s actions, which have gone viral due to her repeatedly eating at and using online motorcycle taxi (ojek online) services without paying, have occurred again in the Srengseng area, West Jakarta. Zahra (22), a stall attendant who was a victim, hopes that the woman will be apprehended soon because her actions are causing losses.

“I just want her to be caught, because she’s causing trouble for the vendors. She just comes in and asks for things without paying. She doesn’t realise that the stall is often quiet,” Zahra told detikcom when interviewed on Tuesday (24/2/2026).

Zahra admitted that she did not report the incident to the police. She said that the stall owner chose to accept the loss.

“Actually, I wanted to take her to the police, but I was afraid it would be complicated and cost more money. My boss also said, ‘It’s okay, just let it go, consider it charity’,” she said.

Although the amount of the loss is small, Zahra believes that the perpetrator’s actions are detrimental to vendors and other service workers.

“It’s even more unfortunate for the ojek online drivers, because they are losing more money, not to mention the cost of petrol and their time,” Zahra added.

Zahra recounted that the unpleasant incident occurred on Sunday (22/2) afternoon. At that time, she was working at the stall as usual when a woman suddenly sat down in front of it.

“It was Sunday, around 11 or 12 o’clock. It had been raining all day, so I moved the chairs in front so they wouldn’t get wet,” Zahra said.

“I was fighting off sleep when I suddenly heard the sound of someone sitting down. It turned out to be a woman. I thought, ‘Why didn’t she ask permission?’ She just sat down without saying anything, but I let it go,” she continued.

According to Zahra, the woman’s method is quite disturbing. Initially, the perpetrator entered the stall area and sat down quietly. When asked, she just pointed at the items on display as if she didn’t want to talk.

“She just pointed. I asked, ‘Do you want something hot or cold?’ She said, ‘Warm.’ So I made her a drink. When I made the drink, she took a snack,” Zahra explained.

“Because I was suspicious, I watched her from here (in front of the stall door), because she was looking out. I thought, ‘This person isn’t going to pay,’ so I waited and waited,” she continued.

Zahra’s suspicions were confirmed when the woman suddenly got up and tried to hail a passing minibus. Zahra immediately shouted and chased after her.

“There was a minibus, and she just started walking towards it. I shouted, ‘Excuse me, you haven’t paid yet!’ Then, when the minibus stopped, I told the driver, ‘Sir, don’t let her in, she hasn’t paid me,’ and the minibus drove off,” Zahra said.

The woman became angry and claimed that she hadn’t bought anything, but had only asked for it. This made Zahra even more annoyed, considering that the perpetrator had never asked for permission before.

“She insisted on not paying. She said, ‘I’m asking, I’m asking.’ I said, ‘You didn’t say you were asking. If you had said you were asking from the beginning, I would have given it to you.’ The problem is, I work with other people, and there’s a boss,” Zahra said.

Zahra said that the woman’s appearance did not suggest that she was a person with mental health issues. The perpetrator looked clean, wearing a jacket, glasses, and carrying two large bags.

“She didn’t look like a crazy person, she looked like an ordinary person. In fact, she smelled really nice, like a baby, with a scent like baby oil. She wasn’t dirty at all. That’s why I didn’t realise it was her (the woman who went viral),” she added.

Zahra hopes that the authorities, such as the Social Services Department or the Public Order Agency, will soon arrest the woman. Although the loss she suffered is small, she believes that the perpetrator’s repeated behaviour cannot be taken lightly.