A Ukrainian citizen claimed to be the victim of a robbery in Ungasan, South Kuta District, Badung Regency.
The victim, identified by the initials II, reported that his crypto assets worth Rp3.4 billion were stolen by the perpetrators.
The Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Senior Commissioner Ariasandy, confirmed that a report regarding this incident had indeed been received by the authorities. He explained that the robbery took place on Sunday, 15th December 2024. According to Ariasandy, the victim was on his way to a villa in the area when, before reaching Jalan Tundun Penyu, his car was suddenly surrounded by two other vehicles—one in front and one behind.
Moments later, four individuals, allegedly of Russian origin, emerged from the front vehicle. They were dressed in black, wearing face coverings, and armed with knives, hammers, and pistols. The robbers handcuffed the victim and covered his head before forcibly taking him to a villa in Jimbaran, South Kuta, Badung Regency. There, the victim was assaulted and coerced into handing over access to his Binance crypto account.
“The material loss is approximately Rp3,496,790,194 and has been reported to the Bali Police SPKT Office for further handling,” Ariasandy told the press on Thursday, 30th January 2025.
Although the robbery took place in December, footage of the incident only recently went viral on social media. In the latest development, however, the Bali Police confirmed to the press on Friday that one of the robbers had been successfully apprehended. The suspect, identified as the leader of the gang, was arrested at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Thursday night.
“Currently, we are temporarily securing the person in question at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation office to investigate whether he was involved [in this robbery] or not,” Ariasandy later informed the press on Friday.
No further details about the detainee have been disclosed by the authorities. As of the publication of this article, the remaining perpetrators are still at large.