inp.polri.go.id - East Kutai. The Macan Team of East Kutai Sub-regional Police Criminal Investigation Unit uncovers the robbery of gold jewelry at a gold shop on Yos Sudarso street, North Sangatta.
Within hours of receiving the report, police identified and apprehended the perpetrators, suspected of involvement in the crime, which involved exchanging real gold for fake jewelry.
The crime occurred on Monday (6/22/2026) at 10.30 a.m. when a woman pretended to be the buyer at the gold shop.
The perpetrator asked the store employee to show him several types of gold jewelry and pretended to be interested in purchasing them. While the store employee was busy writing down the price details and preparing the transaction, the perpetrator allegedly took advantage of the lapse of attention to carry out her crime.
"The real gold jewelry being displayed was swapped by the fake jewelry that had been prepared beforehand," said East Kutai Sub-regional Police Chief, Superintendent Fauzan Arianto, Thursday (6/25/2026).
After carrying out her crime, the perpetrator excused herself, claiming she was going to withdraw money from an ATM to make a payment. However, she never returned.
Later on, the store employee realized what happened after checking the swapped jewelry, resulting in the loss of 13 grams of gold.
“We then received the report and we moved immediately,” said Fauzan.
He explained that investigators not only relied on witness statements but also conducted sweeps and collected CCTV footage from several locations suspected of being used by the perpetrators. From these recordings, investigators mapped the perpetrators' movements, including the vehicles used in their actions.
The multi-layered analysis process finally yielded results. The team identified the identity of the suspected main perpetrator, obtained the license plate number of the vehicle used, and located the location of a car rental suspected of being used by the perpetrators.
Equipped with this information, he said, the police conduct further tracking. This cross-regional collaboration ultimately led to the perpetrators' whereabouts in Samarinda City.
In a swift operation, police arrested three individuals suspected of involvement in the case, identified as PS (32), S (44), and M (53).
In addition to apprehending the suspected perpetrators, officers also confiscated several pieces of evidence, including a car suspected of being used in the operation, imitation jewelry used to carry out the exchange, a cell phone, and several other items related to the case.
Police discovered that the female suspect, identified as PS, was a repeat offender who had previously been prosecuted for a similar crime. Investigators also suspect the group has operated in several regions across Indonesia.
Information obtained indicates similar criminal activity patterns in several cities and regencies, including Kalimantan, Java, and Bali. This finding prompted investigators to focus not only on the Sangatta case but also to expand their investigation to uncover the perpetrators' possible involvement in a transnational crime network.
Fauzan also urged business owners, particularly gold and jewelry store owners, to increase their vigilance against evolving crime patterns.
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