Sentenced to be Teletubbies or ‘pocong’: The inside story behind Indonesia’s viral duct taped ‘criminals’

JAKARTA, July 4 — It looked like something straight out of neighbourhood vigilante justice: two alleged trespassers completely cocooned in duct tape until one resembled Tinky Winky from the Teletubbies, supposedly after angry neighbours helped a homeowner teach them a lesson.

The bizarre clip spread rapidly across social media earlier last week, with many viewers from Brazil to Russia and India believing the pair had been caught red-handed and punished by locals in Indonesia, while others jokingly said the tape-wrapped duo looked less like criminals and more like a homemade version of Malaysia’s animated series Upin & Ipin or even pocongs, the shrouded hopping ghosts from Malay folklore.

But Indonesian news outlet Detik got the lowdown on the real story behind the video and learnt that far from being burglars or trespassers, the two men on screen are actually comedy content creators from Malang in the East Java province who regularly post humorous videos on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

“It’s me and my friend, Feri Wedon. Feri and I are content creators,” Syahroni Muhammad, one of the duo, was quoted as saying.

It began during a TikTok livestream after viewers dared the pair to wrap themselves completely in duct tape in exchange for virtual gifts.

“We were doing a TikTok live when someone challenged us by sending gifts and asking us to wrap our bodies completely in tape. After being wrapped up, we had to eat terasi (shrimp paste), so it looked like we were in pain,” Syahroni admitted.

With only their eyes, noses and mouths left exposed, the pair certainly looked convincing enough to fuel the internet’s imagination.

That imagination went into overdrive after another social media account reposted the clip with a dramatic backstory claiming the men had been caught stealing a motorcycle and were punished by residents.

Within hours, the fabricated tale had spread widely across social media, turning a comedy stunt into an entirely different narrative.

“The truth is, we’re content creators from the Batre TV YouTube channel, not thieves,” Syahroni told Detik.

The episode has become the latest reminder that on the internet, even someone dressed like a life-sized roll of duct tape can become the star of a completely fictional crime story — if the caption is convincing enough.