The so-called "land mafia" are organized crime syndicates that use various illegal means, including document falsification, intimidation and bribery, to take ownership of a property from someone.

The syndicates often use loopholes in the country's land registry system and work with fraudulent notaries. They also sometimes collude with or bribe officials, such as representatives of local administrations or the National Land Agency (BPN) and may cheat the judicial system.

In February, the mother of former deputy foreign minister Dino Patti Djalal fell victim to such fraud. The 84-year-old lost legal possession of at least five houses in the upscale South Jakarta neighborhoods of Kemang and Pondok Indah after members of the land mafia falsified her ID and transferred the property to a new owner.

A complex problem needs a systematic solution

Shortly after the case went public, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ordered a crackdown on organized land theft and fraud, and the National Police responded by forming a task force, with the help of the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry.

"We want to solve the problem systematically,” Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said earlier this month.

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