Video Of Tourist Capturing The Wrong Man After Mugging Goes Viral

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A video of a foreigner attempting to detain a young Indonesian man after he was mugged has gone viral. In the video the foreigner, who has yet to be identified by the police or on social media, wrongly identified the suspect in a crowd and appears to hold the young man around the neck. He shouts aggressively and asks the gathering crowd to call the police. 

The video was taken outside the Havianna shoe store on Jalan Raya in Seminyak on the evening of Sunday 1st May. The foreigner is still wearing his motorcycle helmet and the young Indonesian is holding his bike helmet in his hand, dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans.

The police attended the scene and arrested the young Indonesian man who had been wrongly apprehended by the foreign national. 

According to Kapolsek Kuta Police officer Orpa SM Takalapeta, the wrongful arrest was made after the foreigner chased down the suspected mugger, capturing the wrong man after the actual thief ducked into a crowd of people on the street.

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It is reported by Orpa that the man who was arrested was holding his own cell phone which caught the eye of the victim. The Indonesian man asserts that he was using his own phone and using GoogleMaps to find his mother when he was wrestled by the victim of the mugging. He was taken in by the police, and reports suggest he was collected from the station by his mother who was traumatized by the events.

Orpa, speaking in an interview with Bahasa news website Detik Bali, shared that the wrongly arrested man’s mother expressed her relief that her son was released without harm from police or the public. She explained how there have been many cases of young Indonesian men like her son being beaten by foreigners who blame them for something they have not done. She stated that she thinks these beatings could have fatal consequences if things got out of hand.

According to local reports, the actual perpetrators of the mugging were seen in the Jalan Raya area of Seminyak on Sunday night. It is believed that two people were working together and that after this incident one managed to escape but the other was detained by residents. It is unclear what happened to the second detainee. He was likely released around the time the incorrect arrest was made with little chance of locating him now.

Although crime in Bali is low, pickpockets and bag snatching are not unheard of. There are a number of precautions people from all walks of life can take to ensure their belongings are safe when they are moving through busy areas or areas where thieves operate. 

If riding a scooter, always keep valuables like phones, cameras, wallets, and keys inside the flip seat of the bike. Never wear a cross-body or shoulder bag while riding a scooter, or if you are wearing a backpack wear it covering your chest rather than your shoulders. 

There are pickpockets and elaborate scams that operate in the Kuta and Seminyak areas but in recent times perpetrators have been both international and Indonesian. The police are yet to identify the foreigner in the viral video.

Whenever possible keep valuable items in a safe in your hotel or rental accommodation. While walking, avoid having your phone or wallet out and on show. 

Before you travel be sure to take out travel insurance and understand what personal items are covered should you become a victim of theft.