Police Reveal Angkringan Owner Mode Stealing Millions Of Indian Citizens In Kuta

Kuta Police Chief Kompol Yogie Pramagita (second from the left) ANTARA/Rolandus Nampu

The Kuta Police, Badung Regency, Bali, revealed the mode of theft by an angkringan owner Ismail (32) against a number of goods belonging to a foreign national (WNA) from India named Manikandan.

"This suspect pretended to walk on the beach, then the suspect saw that there was a villa whose door was open, so he saw (no one) immediately entered the villa and took a bag containing cellphones, money and letters," said Kuta Police Chief Kompol Yogie Pramagita as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 31.

Yogie said the items stolen by the perpetrator Ismail on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

The stolen items included cellphones, two wallets, 260 USD in cash, 250 Australian dollars, Rm178 (178 Ringgit Malaysia) and several Indian Rupees, as well as several important documents related to the identity of the victim.

After stealing these items, the perpetrator exchanged some money at a money exchange site on Jalan Kartika Plaza Kuta, Badung, while other items were stored in his motorcycle seat.

After exchanging dollars, the perpetrators received money from the exchange in the form of rupiah in the amount of Rp6,654,000.

Yogie said that when the suspect was about to exchange Rupee money, the suspect saw an Indian hotel security officer and male foreigner who, in his estimate was the victim, the suspect immediately pretended to call someone and left Ruppe's money at the money exchange site.

On the way to his residence at the Kuta Family inn, Kuta, Badung, the suspect, hid the Samsung A52 cellphone that he had stolen in an empty land on Jalan Raya Kuta and a number of other documents were thrown in a trash can on Polonia Street, Tuban, Badung.

"The suspect hid the victim's cellphone in an empty land with the plan to be taken after the situation was conducive," said Yogie.

After receiving reports of losses from victims of Indian foreigners, the Opsnal Team led by the Kuta Police Opsnal Committee Iptu Adhi Waluyo visited the scene of the case, examined witnesses and checked a number of CCTV footage around the hotel area.

After knowing the characteristics of the perpetrators based on CCTV footage, the Opsnal team found out the position of the perpetrator on May 22, 2023, the position of the perpetrator was known by the police.

The perpetrator who was about to go to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to return to Makassar was also arrested on Jalan RaKuta, Badung.

"So, he has bought a ticket to go home. However, our team handled it quickly so that before he left Bali he was immediately arrested," said Yogie.

Now Ismail is being held at the Kuta Police Detention Center and is following a series of investigations before being transferred to the Denpasar District Court for trial. For his actions, investigators charged him with Article 362 of the Criminal Code with a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Yogie said that after being interrogated by investigators, the perpetrator admitted his actions and it was also revealed that the perpetrator had been involved in a criminal case in Makassar, but was not punished.

To investigators, the perpetrator admitted that he needed money for daily needs even though he himself had an angkringan place in the Denpasar Region.

The plan is that after the perpetrator leaves, his angkringan place will be managed by a friend who plans to come to Bali.