The Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) is set to summon various social media accounts involved in disseminating or reposting a hoax regarding an alleged robbery targeting a female model in the Kebon Jeruk area of West Jakarta. This proactive measure comes as part of an effort to rectify persistent misinformation, even after the initial incident has been officially clarified.
Police Commissioner Budi Hermanto, Head of Public Relations for Polda Metro Jaya, confirmed this development during a press conference at the Polda Metro Jaya Promoter Building on Friday, May 22nd. He stated, “We will likely summon several accounts that continue to repost and spread disinformation about an incident that has already been clarified.”
Hermanto underscored that the primary intention behind these summons is not to restrict public activity on social media. Instead, it serves as a crucial educational initiative aimed at deterring the further proliferation of false information. “We must correct this disinformation, but our ultimate goal is to educate,” he emphasized, highlighting the police’s commitment to fostering responsible digital citizenship.
Despite this move against disinformation, Polda Metro Jaya maintains an open channel for the public to convey legitimate information through social media. Budi Hermanto acknowledged that citizen posts have frequently played a pivotal role in assisting with case investigations and disclosures. He elaborated that community-provided information often serves as vital initial clues, empowering the police to accurately trace crime scenes, incident timings, and even identify victims. “We consistently receive positive feedback from public posts on social media, which provides crucial information for us to investigate crime scenes, incident timelines, and victim identities,” Budi added, affirming that Polda Metro Jaya will “never restrict social media activists from communicating.”
Nonetheless, Budi issued a crucial reminder about the responsibility inherent in digital communication, urging that the online space should not be saturated with unverified information. He also extended his appreciation to numerous accounts that promptly removed content related to the alleged robbery after the official clarification was issued. “Many accounts have already taken down their content. We appreciate this proactive step, as it helps prevent giving space for disinformation,” he concluded.
The controversy originated from widely circulated social media posts alleging that a female model, identified by her initials AWS, had fallen victim to a robbery in Kebon Jeruk while returning from a photoshoot. However, a thorough investigation by Polda Metro Jaya unequivocally concluded that the reported robbery never occurred. The individual reportedly created the misleading post after being influenced by a viral trend surrounding robbery incidents.
Summary
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) will summon social media accounts that continue to spread a hoax regarding an alleged robbery of a female model in Kebon Jeruk. Investigations have confirmed that no such robbery occurred, and the report was fabricated based on a viral social media trend. Authorities intend to address this misinformation to prevent further confusion and encourage more responsible digital behavior.
While the police are taking action against the spread of false claims, they remain committed to supporting public participation in reporting legitimate information. Officials emphasized that they do not intend to restrict social media activity and expressed appreciation for accounts that have already removed the misleading content. The summons serves primarily as an educational measure to ensure that the online environment is not filled with unverified and harmful reports.