Police arrest 18-year-old suspected of motorcycle theft in Labuan Bajo

Batu Cermin — Police arrested an 18-year-old vocational-school student suspected of stealing a Honda Beat motorcycle in Labuan Bajo on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, according to reports citing Manggarai Barat police.

Why it matters: The case concerns a stolen motorcycle recovered by police; the suspect remains detained while the investigation proceeds, with a maximum reported sentence of seven years.

Officers from the Komodo Criminal Investigation Unit’s rapid-response team detained the suspect, identified by the initials ON, in Wae Wasi, Batu Cermin village, at about 4:30 p.m. The suspect is from West Kuwus, Manggarai Barat, and studies automotive mechanics at a vocational school in Labuan Bajo.

Police said the motorcycle was taken on the night of 22 October after its owner, Risanus Matur, 25, parked it at the parking area of a boarding house. Matur reported the theft to Manggarai Barat police on 24 October after searching for the motorcycle with his wife.

Investigators said the suspect allegedly acted alone. The motorcycle was reportedly pushed to the boarding house where he lived, before its ignition lock was damaged with tools so it could be started.

Police recovered a black Honda Beat CBS with an allegedly false registration plate, along with a flower-head screwdriver, an L-shaped wrench and an ignition-trigger tool. Investigators said the suspect had changed the motorcycle’s physical appearance and planned to sell it through Facebook Marketplace, but it had not been listed before the arrest.

Manggarai Barat police said the suspect initially claimed he had bought the motorcycle from another person through Facebook for 6 million rupiah, but later admitted stealing it. He has been detained at Manggarai Barat police headquarters while the investigation continues.

Police said ON was named a suspect after investigators obtained at least two items of evidence. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years under Article 477(1)(e) and (f) of Law No. 1 of 2023 on Indonesia’s Criminal Code, concerning aggravated theft.

Sources

• detikBali
• Media Indonesia
• Pos Kupang via Tribunnews.com