Bali Police Arrest Thief Targeting Tourists In Top Resort

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Police in Bali’s popular tourism resort of Sanur have confirmed the arrest of an Indonesian man, originally from Makassar, for a serious robbery against a tourist.

The 51-year-old, known by his initials ALW, was arrested on Saturday, 24th May, after he snatched a gold necklace from a tourist visiting the resort. 

The arrest comes as police in Bali commit more resources to keep the island’s top tourism resorts safe from what the provincial government has referred to as ‘thuggery’. Bali Police have confirmed the successful arrest of a Makassar-born Indonesian national who is reported to have accosted a 65-year-old British woman who was on vacation in Sanur over the weekend. 

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Police have outlined the events of the attack, which took place on Jalan Bumi Ayu in the heart of Sanur at 3.30 pm on Saturday afternoon.

The Head of Public Relations of the Denpasar Police, AKP I Ketut Sukadi, explained that the British tourist, known by her initials JSL, was walking along Jalan Bumi Ayu when ALW approached her on a motorbike, cornered her and forcibly pulled at her gold necklace, breaking and snatching the chain before driving away. 

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AKP Sukadi revealed, “The victim was unable to chase the perpetrator at that time. The victim chose to report to the South Denpasar Police.”

Following the prompt reporting of the attack, AKP Sukadi confirmed that the South Denpasar Police Operations Team immediately conducted a crime scene investigation and tracing of ALW’s movements. After a week of the investigation being launched, the ALW was successfully arrested at his boarding house on Jalan Teuku Umar, in West Denpasar on Sunday 1st June at 7 am. 

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AKP Sukadi told reporters “The suspect and evidence in the form of a Honda Genio DK 6518 FBM motorcycle that he used during the action, the clothes he used during the action, and a gold sales receipt at a gold shop along with his necklace were secured at the South Denpasar Police Headquarters. The suspect was charged with Article 362 of the Criminal Code concerning theft, with a maximum prison sentence of five years.”

AKW is reported to have confessed to the crime at the time of his arrest and affirmed the details of JSL’s police report. He told reporters that he stole the necklace in order to pay for his child’s school fees and that the necklace had already been sold and the money spent. 

Sanur is one of Bali’s most popular tourist resorts and is often deemed to be one of the safest. With its quiet nightlife scene, laid back atmosphere and relaxed village streets, Sanur has retained much of its original fishing village charms which helped established the community as Bali’s original tourism resort back in the 1960s.

In fact, Sanur sees one of the highest rates of return visitors, with thousands of tourists returning to the resort year after year, with many returning multiple times a year when they can. The owner of the Griya Santrian Sanur Hotel, Ida Bagus Gede Agung Sidharta Putra, recently told reporters, “Around 60% of our guests are repeat guests. Some have been there five times, thirty times, and even 84 times.”

Yet as police confirm that opportunistic crime has taken place even on the sleepy streets of Sanur, it is a moment of reflection for Bali, as the tourism sector continues to grapple with rising crime rates on the island.

Concerned about new crime figures in the province, Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster launched the new Anti-Thug team to help combat crime against tourists on the island. 

With a special focus on the resorts of Baundg Regency, including Canggu, Uluwatu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Jimbaran, and Nusa Dua, the new Anti-Thug Team is on a clear mission to keep tourists safe on vacation.

AKBP Arif Batubara told reporters, “The actions of thuggery in Indonesia are currently a special concern of the president. The actions of thuggery are associated with acts of violence, abuse, extortion, robbery, extortion, ganging up, threats, and other types of violence whether committed by individuals or groups.”