ASITA Urges Police to Arrest Travel Owner in Labuan Bajo
ASITA urged police to arrest Kristoforus Aman over alleged repeated tourist fraud in Labuan Bajo. Three Chinese visitors had reported a newer case to police.
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 2 min read
Labuan Bajo — On Oct. 2, 2026, the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies urged police to arrest and legally process Kristoforus Aman, also known as Itok Aman, over alleged repeated fraud involving tourists.
The appeal came from Getrudis Naus, secretary of the association’s Manggarai Barat branch, after three Chinese tourists reported the travel-company owner to the Manggarai Barat police on Oct. 1. Police had not arrested him after an earlier report involving three Italian tourists.
The allegations threaten confidence in Labuan Bajo tourism
For visitors, the case concerns the purchase of travel services in Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo tourism. Reports cited by detikBali say the Chinese tourists paid for a two-day, one-night liveaboard trip in Komodo National Park but did not receive the service after completing payment. The alleged loss in that case was IDR 7,650,000 (about US$10).
The earlier Italian case involved an alleged loss of IDR 79.8 million (about US$5,320). The same travel-company owner had previously been arrested in connection with an alleged IDR 85.2 million (about US$5,680) fraud case involving tourists from Malaysia and Singapore. He was detained for more than one month and released in late June after the parties settled the matter amicably.
The reports also said the Indonesian Association of Tour Guides urged law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation and prosecute the suspect if the allegations meet the elements of a criminal offense. The allegations have prompted concern among tourism-sector representatives because repeated reports involving visitors could damage confidence in Labuan Bajo and Komodo travel services.
According to the reports, police had not yet arrested Kristoforus Aman by Oct. 2. The available reporting does not state a final court finding or a completed investigation into the newer allegations.
Sources
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