Young Man in Bandung Beaten by Debt Collectors After Attempting to Assist Friend

BANDUNG — A brutal assault by a group of debt collectors in the Jalan BKR area of Bandung City has gone viral on social media. A 32-year-old man identified as A became the victim of a mob attack and was struck with a blunt object, allegedly an iron instrument, after attempting to help his friend whose motorcycle had been forcibly seized.

The Bandung Metropolitan Police Resort is investigating the alleged mob assault case against the man identified as A by several debt collectors in the Jalan BKR area of Bandung City, which went viral on social media.

Iptu Budi, Chief of Criminal Investigation at Regol Police Station, said the incident began when the victim was asked for help by his friend, who had previously been stopped by debt collectors on Sunday, 8 March 2025. “For now we have only obtained a statement from the victim. Essentially, we have not yet obtained statements from both parties, only the victim’s version,” Budi said in Bandung on Tuesday.

Budi said that upon arriving at the location, the victim asked about the whereabouts of a person identified as R, allegedly a debt collector, with the aim of having his friend’s motorcycle returned. However, R was not at the location at that time.

Several people then called R to come to the location. After meeting, the two became involved in an argument that escalated into a fight.

“It was a one-on-one duel. After the one-on-one fight ended, they shook hands. However, the victim may not have accepted it or how it was — they were still talking. Well, the perpetrator R then chased the victim again, and the victim ran into an alley,” Budi explained.

In those circumstances, the victim was allegedly then mobbed by several people and beaten with a hard object, allegedly made of iron. Budi said that based on preliminary evidence collected, police suspect two people were involved in the mob assault.

“The evidence we can sufficiently prove involves only two people. According to witness statements, the victim was struck by the perpetrator using a tool resembling iron,” he said.