kapret

Kapret is a colloquial term used in Indonesia and parts of Malay-speaking communities to describe a thief who snatches valuables from pedestrians, especially bags or purses. The act is commonly known as bag snatching, and kapret is one of several slang terms used to describe such thieves; other terms include jambret and copet. The exact etymology of kapret is uncertain and may vary by region; it is generally understood as street-level crime rather than a formal designation and is rarely used in formal legal discourse.

In usage, kapret tends to appear in informal speech, crime reports in tabloids or online media, and social media discussions about street crime. The term is not a formal crime category in Indonesian law and carries a negative, sensational connotation when deployed in journalism or casual conversation. Its meaning can shift slightly depending on context, with some speakers applying it to individuals who snatch valuables in public spaces, while others may use it more loosely to describe robbers encountered in urban areas.

Overall, kapret reflects the layer of informal vocabulary that surrounds urban crime in Indonesian and Malay-speaking regions, existing alongside more formal terms and regional variants. For readers seeking precise terminology in a legal or institutional context, standard terms such as pencurian or perampokan are used in official language.