KUTA

A Japanese man, named as Miko, lost US$10,000 in cash and various valuables in a carefully planned attack in Kuta after thieves punctured his car tire and robbed him when he stopped the vehicle.

Miko, and a friend, Erna, had just withdrawn the money from a branch of Bank Mandiri in Kuta last Friday and were travelling along Jl Majapahit when the incident occurred.

“We felt the car start to wobble and we stopped. We weren’t at all suspicious at the time,” said Erna.

When the pair got out of the car they found that the left rear tire was flat. At this point a pair of men on a motorbike appeared and snatched Miko’s bag, which contained the $10,000, as well as documents and valuables.

A Kuta Police spokesman said they found a nail that appeared to have been deliberately inserted into the tire of the care, and that the thieves had probably targeted Miko after seeing him go into the bank.