The Gang Of Empty House Thieves, The Mode Of Taping The Door In Samarinda, Was Arrested

Samarinda Police Chief, Kombes Hendri Umar/ANTARA HO Samarinda Police

The Samarinda Police have succeeded in arresting a syndicate of thefts of a number of empty houses in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan, which has disturbed the people of the City of Banking in the past week.

Samarinda Police Chief Kombes Hendri Umar explained that the police arrested four perpetrators with the initials I alias C, AS, DRA, and UH. The four perpetrators came from Makassar, South Sulawesi.

"The gang departed from Makassar on September 7, 2025, carrying two motorbikes through Kariangau Port, Balikpapan, then headed to Samarinda and rented a boarding house on Jalan Sejati, Sambutan District," said Hendri Umar as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, September 17.

The police chief explained that they began to take action from September 9 to 16, breaking into empty houses during the day.

"The perpetrator's mode of tapping on the door is to make sure there are people or not. If it is empty, the door of the house is pryed out using a screwdriver and pliers," said Hendri.

From the results of the investigation, this gang was recorded as breaking into houses in seven locations, including Jalan Merdeka, Jalan Macroman, Jalan Sawi, Perum PSI, Jalan Satika, to the Samarinda Seberang area.

The stolen goods that were secured ranged from gold jewelry, cash, to luxury watches with patrol brands and lexandre christie.

During the arrest, the first two perpetrators, I alias C and AS, were arrested on Jalan Sultan Alimuddin, Sambutan District. Subsequently, the police arrested two others, DRA and UH, at their boarding house on Jalan Sejati.

Hendri admitted that one of the perpetrators, I alias C, had tried to escape, so he was shot in the left leg.

"The four of them are recidivists. Three people were caught in a theft case in Samarinda in 2014, while one other person was involved in a case of abuse," added Hendri.

For their actions, the perpetrators were charged with Article 363 of the Criminal Code concerning theft with a weight with a penalty of up to seven years in prison.

Currently, the police are still developing because it is suspected that there are locations and other perpetrators involved in the crime.