Tourists heading to Bali’s popular beach resort of Kuta are urged to keep their wits about them as there has been a rise in crime in the area.
Reports of theft and muggings have increased in the last two weeks.
Police have reported that an Indian tourist was mugged on Jalan Tegal Wangi in Kuta on Thursday evening.
The woman, who was walking to her hotel with her husband around 9.30 pm, is reported to have been grabbed by two men who were riding a motorbike towards them.
Reports suggest that the two men stopped the motorcycle suddenly as one launched himself at her and forcibly pulled the gold necklace from her neck.
The two men immediately jumped back on the motorcycle and rode away. However, as they accelerated away, the driver lost control of the N-Max, and the two men were thrown from the vehicle.
They were not seriously injured and chose to abandon the motorcycle and run away with the gold necklace stashed between them.
Despite the trauma of the attack, both the victim, known only by her initials AG, and her husband chased after the duo along with eyewitnesses.
The Head of Public Relations of the Denpasar Police, AKP I Ketut Sukadi, explained, “The motorbike belonging to the perpetrator has been secured at the Kuta Police Headquarters to be used as evidence. Meanwhile, the perpetrators are still under investigation.”
Police have also just revealed more details about another robbery in Kuta on Tuesday 26th December. Police have arrested a Moroccan tourist with the initials HS, 21, on suspected robbery charges.
HS was apprehended by the authorities at Jalan Popies I after the victim reported the mugging to the police.
The woman, known by her initials VPS, told police that her handbag had been stolen from a table at a nightclub in Seminyak. The bag contained her iPhone 12 and IDR 6,000,000 in cash.
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AKP I Ketut Sukadi explained, “The victim admitted that she had come to the entertainment venue with a friend. The bag containing the cell phone and money was discovered to be missing on Tuesday morning at around 03.00 WITA. There, they met two foreign nationals from Morocco, one of whom was the suspect HS before the bag disappeared.”
“The victim went to the bathroom. Coming out of the bathroom, she went straight to the disco with her friend. Meanwhile, her bag was still left on the table where at that time the suspect was still there.”
Following the report from VPS Kuta Police immediately carried out an investigation. They were able to track down HS within a matter of hours and they also secured the stolen belongings.
AKP Sukadi said “When the officer arrested the suspect, he cooperated in admitting that he had committed theft in accordance with the victim’s report. The suspect and the evidence were taken to the Kuta Police Headquarters for legal proceedings.”
Kuta and Legian are resort towns synonymous with late-night drinking and partying. While the areas have a strong police and security presence, it reports of crime in the area are not uncommon.
These two kinds of thefts are the most common.
Tourists are encouraged to leave their valuables locked in their hotel or accommodation on a night out and not leave their bags, wallets, or phones unattended at any time, especially in bars and nightclubs.
Tourists are also encouraged to travel by taxi at night, while there are night patrols counted on a regular basis throughout the resorts. Criminals ride around the area looking for tourists to conduct drive-by thefts against.
Police urge tourists to always file a police report if a crime has occurred, even if they feel there is no hope of returning their belongings.
In many cases, when a crime is reported, police are able to act quickly and not only bring the criminal to justice but also recover the stolen items before they are passed on, traded, or transported far from the area.
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Kuta Crime
Thursday 18th of April 2024
Several months later nothing has changed all smoke and mirrors. Businesses are being crippled by inaction from all officials starting from Banjar Chiefs, to Police to Govt Officials. Tourists and people living in the area are fed up with it.
Mr Bear Snr
Sunday 14th of January 2024
Tourists are constantly bombarded with, "Don't do this or that". Must wear a helmet and have a licence. Respect the locals and their traditions, etc. What about Indonesians respecting the tourists. A major crackdown on Javanese males coming to Bali without a job guaranteed, at the end of the 90's early 2000's saw the occurence of thefts and mugging almost entirely disappear.
BaliDuck
Friday 12th of January 2024
"Police have reported that an Indian tourist was mugged on Jalan Tegal Wangi in Kuta on Thursday evening."
Imagine how lousy your life is if you find yourself mugging Indians.
"The woman, known by her initials VPS, told police that her handbag had been stolen from a table at a nightclub in Seminyak. The bag contained her iPhone 12 and IDR 6,000,000 in cash."
I still remember when you could have fun in Bali for less than IDR 200,000.
J West
Tuesday 9th of January 2024
Why hasn't Bali invested in a regular mini-bus for tipsy tourists....night and day. This crime wave against tourists is nothing new.
Lololol
Tuesday 9th of January 2024
How many warnings have the police published over the years. How about actually start doing the work to decrease the crime. It's literally handful of small streets, you can't even keep those safe. Absolutely pathetic approach by the authorities. In few months we will read again how the Bali police is stamping out crime and warning tourists. Repeat few months later same act, again and again. Circus