{"id":7320,"date":"2026-06-30T22:39:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/?p=7320"},"modified":"2026-06-30T22:39:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:39:04","slug":"new-zealand-tourists-iphone-snatched-while-using-google-maps-in-bali-police-arrest-repeat-offender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/new-zealand-tourists-iphone-snatched-while-using-google-maps-in-bali-police-arrest-repeat-offender\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand Tourist’s iPhone Snatched While Using Google Maps in Bali, Police Arrest Repeat Offender"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KUTA, Bali<\/strong> \u2014 A New Zealand tourist who was using Google Maps<\/strong> while riding through one of Bali’s busiest roads lost her newly released iPhone 17 Pro Max<\/strong> in a daylight snatch theft, highlighting a crime pattern that police say continues to target distracted motorcyclists, particularly foreign visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities have since arrested the suspect, a repeat offender with an extensive criminal record, after tracking him to neighboring Banyuwangi<\/strong>, across the Bali Strait in East Java.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident occurred on June 12<\/strong> along Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai<\/strong>, near the Tuban Underpass in Kuta, a major route connecting Bali’s international airport with popular tourist destinations including Seminyak, Jimbaran, and Nusa Dua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Bali Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Ariasandy<\/strong>, investigators identified the suspect through witness statements, surveillance footage, and videos that later circulated on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The investigation led us to Banyuwangi, where the suspect had fled after the incident,” Ariasandy said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phone Grabbed in Seconds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The victim, identified as Maia Broughton Edward<\/strong>, was riding as a passenger on a motorcycle after returning from Melasti Beach<\/strong> when she took out her phone to check directions using Google Maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police say the suspect approached the motorcycle from behind before suddenly grabbing the device from her hands and speeding away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stolen phone, an iPhone 17 Pro Max<\/strong>, was valued at approximately Rp17 million<\/strong> (around US$1,000<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tourist later reported the theft to Kuta Police<\/strong>, triggering an investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrest Across the Bali Strait<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After tracing the suspect’s movements, Bali Police coordinated with officers in Banyuwangi<\/strong>, where the man was arrested at a hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police identified him only by the initials MAS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During questioning, investigators said the suspect admitted carrying out the theft and directed officers to additional evidence stored in Jimbaran<\/strong>, south of Bali’s airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities seized the Yamaha NMAX scooter<\/strong> allegedly used during the crime, two counterfeit license plates, and five mobile phones<\/strong>, including the victim’s stolen iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police: Foreign Tourists Were the Main Target<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Investigators say the suspect is a six-time repeat offender<\/strong> with previous criminal convictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police also allege he had connections to another convicted phone snatcher who supplied him with stolen mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to investigators, the suspect consistently targeted riders who were visibly holding smartphones while traveling, especially foreign tourists relying on navigation apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The method was simple but effective: approach from behind on a motorcycle, seize the phone within seconds, and disappear into traffic before victims had time to react.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying Safe While Exploring Bali<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bali remains one of Southeast Asia’s safest and most welcoming destinations for international travelers, welcoming millions of visitors every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, police regularly advise tourists to avoid holding expensive smartphones openly while riding on motorcycles, particularly when using navigation apps in busy traffic corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, authorities recommend using a secure phone mount, relying on voice navigation through earphones where appropriate, or checking directions before setting off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many travelers, Google Maps is an essential tool for exploring Bali independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police say taking a few simple precautions can significantly reduce the risk of becoming an easy target for opportunistic thieves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suspect remains in police custody and is expected to face prosecution under Indonesian criminal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#heybalinews<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KUTA, Bali \u2014 A New Zealand tourist who was using Google Maps while riding through one of Bali’s busiest roads lost her newly released iPhone 17 Pro Max in a daylight snatch theft, highlighting a crime pattern that police say continues to target distracted motorcyclists, particularly foreign visitors. Authorities have since arrested the suspect, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_food_recipe":[],"enable_food_recipe":"","food_recipe_title":"","food_recipe_description":"","food_recipe_serve":"","food_recipe_time":"","food_recipe_prep":"","food_recipe_level":"","food_recipe_keywords":"","food_recipe_category":"","food_recipe_cuisine":"","food_recipe_yield":"","food_recipe_calories":"","enable_print_recipe":"","ingredient":[],"instruction":"","jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_review":[],"enable_review":"","type":"","name":"","summary":"","brand":"","sku":"","good":[],"bad":[],"score_override":"","override_value":"","rating":[],"price":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,347,51],"tags":[47,106,314,146,82,683,835,674,54,908],"class_list":["post-7320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bali-news","category-bali-law","category-bali-update","tag-bali","tag-bali-expat","tag-bali-law","tag-bali-life","tag-bali-tourism","tag-criminal","tag-iphone","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-theft"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7320"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7321,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7320\/revisions\/7321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heybali.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}