Drama, controversy over a missing tumbler in Indonesia

The Indonesian tumbler drama began with a 350ml stain-Jess-steel bottle — perfectly insulated for coffee, yet hopelessly unprepared for the glare of social media.

- Arlina Arshad Indonesia Bureau Chief

Within days, the missing tumbler had gone viral. The ensuing storm swept through Jakarta’s commuter trains, cost a commuter her job, nearly cost a station officer his, and even toppled the president director of commuter rail operator PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI), a subsidiary of state railway firm PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI). All over an insulated cup.

Indonesia’s commuter rail system sees thousands of lost items each year - umbrellas, wallets, lunch boxes, even pet carriers — most of which go unnoticed. Not this tumbler, which became a lightning rod for debates about empathy, fairness and governance instead.

The saga began on Nov 17, when commuter Anita Dewi Lestari left her cooler bag on a packed train from Jakarta to Banten province. Security officers recovered the bag and sent photos showing its contents were intact.

But when she and her husband, Mr Alvin Harris Setiadi, returned the next day, one item had vanished: a blue tumbler from coffee chain Tuku, priced at around 225,000 rupiah (S$17.50).

Frustrated, Ms Anita posted on social media platform Threads, blaming station passenger service officer Argi Budiansyah for not checking the contents of the bag when it was handed to him by security staff.

Mr Argi responded on Threads on Nov 26 saying he had been dismissed a day earlier for “negligence”. He posted WhatsApp messages with Mr Alvin, showing he had apologised, offered to replace the tumbler, and invited the couple to review CCTV footage - but received no reply.