Police Arrest Perpetrators Of Theft In 19 Locations In Bali

The case of theft was released by the Denpasar Police and the Kuta/ANTARA/Rolandus Nampu Police

DENPASAR - Denpasar Police Team and South Kuta Police revealed the perpetrators of the theft with Purwadi weight (63), operating in 19 crime scenes (TKP) in the South Kuta area, Badung Regency, Bali.

Denpasar Police Chief Kombes Wisnu Prabowo at the Kuta Police Station said that apart from operating at 19 crime scenes, the perpetrator was also a recidivist who had burglarized a bank in Banyuwangi, East Java.

"The perpetrator committed theft with this weight at 19 crime scenes with a long period of time. This perpetrator is a recidivist where this perpetrator used to commit a crime of stealing money, namely breaking into or committing a robbery at a bank," said Wisnu, Monday, July 8.

Wisnu explained that the suspect Purwadi committed theft using simple tools to forcibly open the windows and doors of the victims' houses, especially foreign tourists who live in villas-villa which are far from being crowded in the South Kuta area, Badung.

The perpetrator who was arrested on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at around 08.00 WITA at his residence on Jalan Raung, Singotrunan Village, Banyuwangi District, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java does not have a permanent residence in Bali.

He committed theft in various locations alone using his white Vario motorcycle.

Now, Purwadi is in the detention cell of the South Kuta Police with legal entanglement Article 363 of the Criminal Code Juncto Article 65 of the Criminal Code with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Meanwhile, South Kuta Police Chief Kompol I Gusti Ngurah Yudistira said the 19 villas that were targeted for theft from the suspect Purwadi were mostly inhabited by foreign nationals located in South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali.

According to the suspect's statement, the theft had been going on since 2022 until he was arrested in June 2024. The items that became stolen included jackets, shoes, cellphones, money, bags, clothes, jewelry and anything that could be taken and then sold by the perpetrators.

"The mode is prying or an unlocked villa. The targets are random, villas occupied by foreigners or domestic tourists, villas that are far from settlements so that they freely commit crimes using tools in the form of screwdrivers and small crowbars," said Yudistira.

According to information from the South Kuta Police Chief Yudistira, the perpetrator Purwadi had committed violent theft at a bank in Banyuwangi, East Java. At that time, the suspect stabbed security guarding the bank until he finally died.

Purwadi himself admitted to committing theft in 19 locations/TKP.

"Most of the victims are foreigners who have returned to their country. Meanwhile, only two police reports are suitable for the evidence contained in the suspect," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

According to police statement, the suspect Purwadi does not have a permanent residence in Bali. Every time he has committed acts of theft in several villas in Bali, the suspect returns to his hometown in Banyuwangi to sell his stolen goods. When it is sold, then the suspect returns to Bali to commit theft elsewhere.

The motive for the theft is due to economic factors because the perpetrator does not have a permanent job.

He was reported by Solo tourist Arden Darmawan who stayed at the First Home Villa in Ungasan, South Kuta, Badung. To the police, the victim or the complainant said that he had lost two cellphones, cash and clothes on May 23, 2024 while staying at the villa. After an investigation by the police, it was revealed that the identity of the perpetrator of the theft was recorded on surveillance cameras (CCTV) at the scene of the case and around the location.

The police then managed to arrest the suspect Purwadi in Banyuwangi on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at around 08.00 WITA. After an in-depth interrogation, the perpetrator admitted that he had committed theft with a weight of 19 crime scenes. Furthermore, the perpetrators and evidence were secured at the South Kuta Police for further processing.