An Indian family was caught stealing accessories and other items from their Bali hotel at the end of last week, and a video of the incident went viral over the weekend.
The video posted by Twitter user Hemanth last Saturday (July 27) has been viewed more than 350,000 times, with several Indian netizens lamenting that the family’s conduct could cast a negative light on other tourists from the country traveling to Bali.
In the video, members of the family were seen shouting at two men, believed to be staff from the hotel. According to reports, the tourists arrived at Villa Royal Purnama in Sukawati, Gianyar on 23 July 2019 and were trying to leave on Friday 26 July when the incident occurred.
In a report from Sukawati polsek on Facebook, the police stated that a hotel staff member had seen someone throwing items over the wall of the villa into a vacant lot next door and on checking discovered the goods belonged to the villa. He then alerted security and they quickly searched the rooms as the guest was leaving. Security then searched the bags of the Indian guests.
One of the staff of the villa is seen in the video searching the baggage and recovering several items, including bottles of liquid soap, containers, towels, a mirror, and a hairdryer.
“I will pay,” one of the family members says, but the hotel staff refuses to take the money.
“I know you have a lot of money but this is no respect,” he replies.
In the Twitter post, Mr. Hemanth says: “Having lived in Indonesia and visited Bali, I can personally vouch for Indonesians being the gentlest, most respectful people I have met.
“They hold India and Indians in very high esteem and it’s gut-wrenching to see us in such a compromised position.”
He added that, as Indians were now traveling extensively, a booklet on appropriate behavior during international travel was necessary. Many netizens criticized the family while others pointed out that their actions were not representative of all Indian tourists.
Sukawati police also said that after finding the items in their bags, the guests acknowledged their mistake and apologized. They returned the items taken and compensated the villa complex for items that had not been found.
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