S'porean man loses S$1,943 after wallet gets stolen while shopping at Batam market

A man was distracted for a moment while shopping at Pasar Jodoh in Batam on Jan. 23, 2026, when someone allegedly stepped on his foot.

After trying to see who had stepped on him, he realised that his wallet had been stolen.

 Around S$2,000 stolen

In a video posted by Batam News Online, the elderly man, who was visibly anxious, was seen muttering to himself and passersby in Malay, saying "My identity card is missing".

He also fished out what appeared to be a Singaporean passport from his pocket.

An off-screen voice explained that the man had lost his wallet, which had a lot of valuables. According to Lianhe Zaobao, the wallet contained S$1,700, 3.2 million Indonesian Rupiah (approx. S$243), his identity card, and three debit cards.

A stall vendor who spoke to Indonesian media also mentioned that after the man realised his wallet had been stolen, he was suspicious and asked to check another man's pocket, but he did not find his wallet.

Police report made for lost documents

Passersby told the man to report the matter to the police. He appeared to be particularly concerned about his identity card.

The man can be heard saying that his IC was in his wallet, and that it'll be a hassle getting back to Singapore. He said he would file a police report first.

The report was confirmed by First Inspector Noval Adimas Ardianto, Head of Criminal Investigation at the Lubuk Baja Police, according to Batam News Online.

However, according to Noval, the victim only reported the loss of documents, not pickpocketing. "The victim came to the police station to report lost documents, not pickpocketing," Noval explained.

Top image via Batam News Online/Instagram