12.10.2026 12:00
In Indonesia, footage of four people wrapped from head to toe in packing tape and made to look like Teletubbies quickly became a trending topic. It was claimed that the people were thieves caught by local residents. However, the truth soon came out. It was learned that the people in the footage were not thieves but members of a team that prepares entertaining content for social media, and that they had themselves taped up after a challenge from viewers.
In Indonesia, footage of four people wrapped from head to toe in duct tape and likened to cartoon characters became a social media topic. The footage was shared with the claim that a person tired of constant burglaries at their home set up an ambush with neighbors and caught four suspects. However, investigations by foreign media revealed that there was a completely different story behind the video watched by millions.
IT WAS CLAIMED THEY CAUGHT THIEVES AND LIKENED THEM TO TELETUBBIES
In posts spreading on social media, it was alleged that a homeowner, fed up with repeated burglaries, took action together with neighbors. According to the claim, neighborhood residents, who set an ambush during the night hours, caught four suspects and then wrapped them from head to toe in duct tape until police arrived. It was described that ear-like protrusions were made on the suspects' heads, making them resemble characters from the children's show Teletubbies.
The footage, which quickly spread to different countries, sparked debate among social media users. However, it was understood that the described incident was not real.
THE TRUTH EMERGED: NOT THIEVES, BUT CONTENT CREATORS
According to an investigation by Indonesia-based Detik, the people in the video were members of the Batre TV team, which prepares humor content in the city of Malang in East Java province. Syahroni Muhammad from the team stated that the people in the footage were not thieves and explained that the video was recorded during an event held for social media. Syahroni said that while he and his friend Feri Wedon were live streaming on TikTok, they accepted a challenge from viewers.
VIEWERS ASKED, THEY TAPED THEMSELVES
It was stated that during the live broadcast, a viewer who sent virtual gifts asked the content creators to wrap their bodies completely in duct tape.
The pair, who accepted the challenge, were taped so that only their eyes, noses, and mouths remained open. Then, when they were also asked to eat spicy shrimp paste, their funny reactions were captured on camera.
The footage was later shared by different accounts and presented as if it belonged to a burglary incident. It was determined that the other footage showing four people was also connected to content prepared by the same team.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BELIEVED THE WRONG STORY
Peru-based fact-checking platform La República reported in its July 16, 2026 review that one share of the video was viewed more than 3.6 million times.
Russia-based fact-checking organization Provereno.Media also confirmed that the footage did not show thieves being caught and that the content creators taped themselves voluntarily. Thus, it was revealed that the claim that neighborhood residents caught four thieves and turned them into Teletubbies did not reflect the truth.