Indonesian man sells own furniture to fund dates with girlfriend, mum hits the roof

Driven by love, an Indonesian man spared no expense buying meals and gifts for his girlfriend — and even dismantled the roof that his parents had worked so hard to put over their heads. 

The 24-year-old from Yogyakarta was detained on Wednesday (Nov 24) after his mother reported him to the police. 

He confessed that he started selling furniture from his family home in mid-October, reported Coconuts Jakarta. 

His daily salary driving a motorcycle taxi was a paltry 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah (S$4.80-S$9.60) — hardly enough to impress his lover. By selling off the furniture in his house, the man was able to earn about 24 million rupiah, most of which was spent on his girlfriend. 

"I gave her things directly, sometimes it's food, bags or clothes. I did it because of love," he said. 

The couple met about a month ago when she ordered a ride in Yogyakarta, and he was her driver. 

But how did he get away with this for weeks?

It turns out that his mother, a 53-year-old household assistant, had not been home for two months.

She returned home in early November and caught him trying to sell the corrugated roof sheets he had removed from their house. Neighbours also told her that they saw him dismantling parts of the house. 

Wanting to teach him a lesson, she went to the police. 

"I regret it a lot. I've already apologised to my mother. It's clear that I have to take responsibility for what I've done," the young man said after spending time in a detention cell. 

His girlfriend, who lives in East Java, is still unaware that he has been detained by the authorities, he added.

And if his mother decides to press charges, he may face up to five years in prison for theft. 

In June, an Indonesian teenager sold her father's motorcycle for 20 million rupiah in exchange for flight tickets to Jakarta, so that she could meet her crush.

Unfortunately, the boy whom she had met through an online game did not want to meet her in real life, and the teen was left in tears at the airport. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com