An Australian national identified by the initials RJW has been arrested by the police in Denpasar, Bali, following an incident in which he allegedly forcefully took a vehicle belonging to a local resident and later set it on fire. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday, August 3, 2025, on Jalan Batu Belig, Kerobokan, North Kuta.
Vehicle Taken While Owner Was Inside
According to a statement from AKP I Ketut Sukadi, Head of Public Relations for the Denpasar Police, the victim, identified as I Ketut WK, was inside his vehicle with his child at approximately 00.30 WITA when RJW approached the vehicle and began banging on the windows. The suspect allegedly forced the victim and his child out of the car before driving away with the vehicle, which bore the license plate DK 1388 HO.
“The car hijacking led to a car fire on Jalan Buana Raya Denpasar,” said Sukadi in a written statement, Sunday (3/7/2025).
Following the incident, the victim sought assistance to pursue the suspect. During his attempted escape, RJW reportedly struck two individuals on the road, though further details about their conditions were not provided in the police statement.
“The victim ran away while calling the security guards to chase the car together. The seized car also hit two people on the street,” said Sukadi.
Vehicle Tracked and Found Burned
Unable to immediately apprehend the suspect, the victim used a tracking application on his mobile phone to locate the vehicle.
“The bag containing the victim’s wallet and cellphone was in the car, the victim’s cellphone was detected on Jalan Buana Raya,” he said.
At around 05.30 WITA, the car was traced to the rear of an abandoned house on Jalan Buana Raya, West Denpasar. Upon arrival, the vehicle was found completely burned. Firefighters from the Denpasar Fire Department were deployed and successfully extinguished the fire.
Sukadi confirmed that there were no fatalities resulting from the incident. However, the victim’s vehicle was destroyed, and the estimated financial loss is approximately Rp150 million.
Ongoing Police Investigation
RJW is currently in police custody and will face legal proceedings following Indonesian law.
“The perpetrator has now been secured at the North Kuta Police Station because of his confiscation in that area,” said Sukadi.
At this time, authorities have not released information regarding a possible motive. It is also unclear whether the suspect was under the influence of alcohol or experiencing any mental health conditions at the time of the alleged incident.
The police continue to investigate the case to determine the full circumstances surrounding the event. Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
