The Head of Kuta Police, AKP Yogie Pramagita, is worried about the rampant acts of mugging in the Kuta area. He said 99 percent of the mugging victims in Kuta were foreign tourists. As a result, these muggers became the main focus of the Kuta police because Kuta is one of the main tourist destinations for foreign tourists in Bali.
“This mugging has been repeated and is very disturbing to foreign tourists. We were ordered to pay attention to these mugging cases. The Head of the Regional Police and the Head of the Kuta Police emphasised that tourists should feel safe and comfortable,” said Pramagita at a press conference at the Kuta Police, Badung, Bali, on Monday, 31st of July 2023
Pramagita revealed that muggers usually snatched the victim’s phone while riding a motorcycle. “Perpetrators usually snatch the victim’s cell phone, and the jewellery that the victim was wearing as well. This crime usually occurs when the victim is busy opening Google Maps, unknowingly the suspect is already next to them, and the mugging will happen very quickly,” explained Pramagita
Pramagita explained that the incident usually occurs at night. The Kuta police office often receives reports of foreign tourists who became victims of muggings like this. From these phenomenon, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Kuta Police conducted a series of investigations.
“So, according to the report, most of the victims were foreign tourists. Members of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Kuta Police then conducted a series of investigations and found three muggers who had repeatedly mugged foreign tourists in the Kuta area,” said Pramagita.
The three perpetrators of the mugging were I Wayan Baruk, I Made Gita, and a minor with the initials IKR. For their actions, IKR and Made Gita were subject to Article 363 of the Criminal Code (KUHP), which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Meanwhile, Wayan Baruk was subject to Article 362 of the Criminal Code, which has a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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