Densus 88 Reveals True Crime Digital Community, Encourage Children to Plan Brutal Actions

JAKARTA - The Special Detachment (Densus) 88 Anti-Terror Police revealed the existence of a digital community called the True Crime Community which is considered to have the potential to encourage children and adolescents to commit violent acts. The community was found to be spread across various regions of Indonesia and involved dozens of minors.

Spokesperson for the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), AKBP Mayndra Eka Wardhana, confirmed the statement of the Head of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) regarding the findings of the community. He said that the group was identified since 2025 and until now, interventions with related ministries and institutions are still being carried out.

"This community was found in the form of a social media group. Not just one, but dozens of groups that we continue to monitor and intervene," he said at a press conference at the National Police Headquarters, South Jakarta, Wednesday, January 7, 2025.

Myandra said that the development of propaganda on social media in the form of short videos, animations, memes, and music is very vulnerable to affecting children who are still in the stage of finding their identity.

According to him, exposure to violent and extremist content can quickly affect children's emotions, mindset, and behavior. However, the community was not founded by a certain figure or organization.

"(TCC) grows sporadically as the global digital space develops. This community is a meeting place for an interest in violent sensationalism with a digital world that is cross-country," he said.

Densus 88, said Mayndra, also highlighted various cases of violence that occurred abroad throughout 2025, most of which involved perpetrators in their teens. From shootings at schools and houses of worship in the United States to stabbing cases in Moscow, Russia.

In fact, he continued, in one case in Russia, the perpetrator wrote the phrase "Jakarta Bombing 2025" on the weapon used, which was allegedly inspired by the bomb incident in Jakarta.

"This phenomenon shows a tendency to imitate or copycat. Even though it is not always driven by full extremist ideology, the level of danger is still the same," he said.

Densus 88 noted that in Indonesia there were around 70 children who were identified as members of the true crime community in 19 provinces. Meanwhile, the region with the most number of children is DKI Jakarta with 15 children, followed by West Java with 12 children and East Java with 11 children.

Of the total, 67 children have undergone assessments, mapping, and psychological support. The vulnerable age of the children is between 11 and 18 years old, with a predominance of 15 years old.