What should have been an idyllic getaway in Bali, Indonesia turned into a nightmare when a family from Singapore woke up to find that their villa had been robbed.
Among the items missing were bags and wallets containing cash, all of which amounted to about S$3,000.
When they tried to seek help from the property manager, she allegedly pushed the blame on them instead.
The family has since filed a police report.
Facebook user Redha Indra shared his family’s experience via a post on 30 Nov.
According to him, the incident occurred at Villa Kenza in Canggu, Bali. The Straits Times (ST) reported that Mr Redha’s family woke up that same morning to their villa having been ransacked.
Naturally, they decided to check on their belongings and found roughly S$3,000 worth of cash and items missing.
After checking with Villa Kenza, they managed to retrieve CCTV footage from the previous night, which showed a figure jumping over the low wall bordering the premises.
Source: Redha Indra on Facebook
They also spotted a motorcycle passing by the compound several times with its headlights seemingly switched off. Separately, a motorcycle was seen leaving the villa that same night, though whether it was the same vehicle is unclear.
Mr Redha told ST that his family found their opened bags and pouches in the dining area even though they had placed them on shelves and in various rooms.
Contents missing, they suspected that the thief may have rummaged through the items in the dining area after snatching them.
Besides checking their belongings, Mr Redha and his family also inspected the 4-room villa they rented. To their horror, they found a sliding door beside the pool that they could not lock.
He told ST that they didn’t notice this fault earlier as deck chairs were blocking the door.
Videos on Facebook showed two sliding doors that Mr Redha seemingly couldn’t lock no matter how he turned the key.
Having realised the security flaw, he thus supposed that the thief entered the villa via these doors after climbing over the wall.
In his interview with ST, Mr Redha claimed that the property manager only communicated with the family via a phone call and didn’t personally come to check on them.
He additionally alleged in his Facebook post that she even “pushed the blame onto them (us)”.
But in response to ST, the management said that the family’s claims about the door and staff were inaccurate.
They maintained that the sliding doors were in order before and after the guests’ departure. Instead, they suggested that the guests may not have locked the doors at night.
An employee apparently accompanied the family to file a police report and notify the insurance company of the incident.
The family eventually left the accommodation later that day despite having booked two more nights of stay.
Ending his post which he dubbed an “important travel advisory”, Mr Redha encouraged everyone to “stay safe and travel wisely”.
Unpredictable incidents can catch us off-guard, so it would be useful to equip ourselves with knowledge to respond to different situations.
Most importantly, make sure to check the safety and security features of your accommodation before settling in. After all, you’d want to sleep and enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.
We hope that Mr Redha and his family will get the assistance they need and recoup their losses.
Also read: S’pore Couple’s Bali Villa Gets Robbed, Police Catch Culprit & Retrieve Items
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Featured image adapted from Booking.com and Redha Indra on Facebook. Image on the left for illustration purposes only.
The boy is an only child to the single mum.
Authorities had to use equipment to pry the vehicle open to free the man.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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