4 Suspects Arrested in Qur’an Memorization Alcohol Challenge Case in Ancol

Four individuals have been formally charged by the Polda Metro Jaya in Jakarta following a controversial stage event at The Sounds Project music festival in Ancol, North Jakarta, where festival attendees were challenged to recite verses from the Quran in exchange for bottles of alcoholic beverages. The criminal investigation, which quickly escalated from viral social media outrage to formal police charges under Indonesia’s revised penal code, has resulted in the detention of two primary suspects while two others remain under active investigation.

The Escalation from Viral Social Media Event to Criminal Charges

The incident unfolded on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at approximately 10:30 p.m. local time, inside a commercial beverage booth operated during the popular music festival at Eco Park Ancol. According to Director of General Criminal Investigation for Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Pol. Iman Imanuddin, law enforcement agencies received five separate public complaints on Tuesday, August 11, prompting the Sub-Directorate of State Security to step in and elevate the case to a formal criminal proceeding. By Thursday, August 13, investigators officially named four suspects involved in orchestrating and executing the challenge.

Authorities have secured significant digital evidence, including five flash drives containing video recordings of the incident, alongside the specific clothing worn by the hosts during the event. Detectives have already questioned five initial complainants, venue management representatives from Ancol, event organizers, and eyewitnesses present at the booth when the challenge took place.

Dissecting the Roles of the Four Suspects

Police have meticulously outlined the distinct responsibilities of each suspect involved in the booth activity. Suspect RES operated as the master of ceremonies or host, actively directing the crowd interaction outside the promotional stand. Meanwhile, suspects AK and I are accused of designing and issuing the provocative challenge, offering festival-goers complimentary bottles of alcoholic beverages if they successfully recited specific verses—namely Surah Al-Ikhlas and Surah Ad-Dhuha.

Photo: afu.id

The fourth individual, identified by the initial M, was an audience participant who stepped forward to accept the wager. Suspect M used a loudspeaker to publicly recite Surah Ad-Dhuha in exchange for the alcohol prize. Out of the four named individuals, police executed the immediate arrest of RES and AK on Wednesday, August 12. Both have been remanded to a 20-day detention period at the Polda Metro Jaya detention facility starting Thursday, while the legal proceedings for suspects I and M continue under standard investigative protocols.

Legal Framework and Institutional Responses

The suspects face severe legal jeopardy under Article 300 and/or Article 301 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, as adjusted by Law Number 1 of 2026 regarding crimes against religion and religious beliefs. Despite the gravity of the charges, law enforcement officials emphasize that all suspects maintain the presumption of innocence until a court of law delivers a binding verdict. To ensure a thorough and balanced inquiry, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) have also coordinated directly with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) to evaluate the religious implications of the incident.

Photo: liputan6.com

Corporate entities linked to the festival venue and the sponsoring brand have swiftly distanced themselves from the spectacle. Representatives for The Sounds Project organizers issued statements clarifying that the Quran recitation challenge fell entirely outside their approved event programming or operational guidelines. Similarly, representatives for the beverage brand whose booth hosted the activity acknowledged significant supervision failures on-site, confirming that the stunt was never part of their corporate promotional strategy. As the investigation progresses, authorities plan to conduct further interrogations involving the event producers, booth attendants, and brand executives to determine total accountability.

Looking Ahead at Accountability and Event Oversight

With four distinct individuals now facing criminal prosecution, the legal fallout extends far beyond the digital outrage that originally brought the video to public attention. Investigators continue to compile digital forensics and witness testimonies, ensuring that every layer of responsibility—from the MC on the stage to the participant on the microphone—is rigorously examined under the rule of law.