Jakarta Police Deploy 6,802 Personnel for Eid Exodus as Free Homecoming Buses Begin Rolling

Polda Metro Jaya has launched Operation Ketupat Jaya 2026 with nearly 7,000 joint security personnel deployed across the capital, as government-subsidised free homecoming buses start ferrying tens of thousands of low-income Jakartans to their hometowns today.

JAKARTA - Jakarta’s Metropolitan Police has deployed 6,802 joint personnel to secure the 2026 Eid al-Fitr homecoming season as the city begins its annual mass exodus, with more than 19 million residents projected to leave the capital in the coming days.

The deployment was announced at a cross-sector coordination meeting at the Metro Jaya Meeting Hall Building on Monday, March 9, chaired by Metro Jaya Police Chief Inspector General Pol. Asep Edi Suheri. Traffic Directorate of Polda Metro Jaya Police Commissioner Pol. Komarudin confirmed the scale of the operation at the meeting.

“No less than 6,802 joint personnel from the National Police (Polri), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and related agencies will be deployed throughout the Jakarta Metropolitan Police jurisdiction to ensure security and comfort during the Eid homecoming (mudik) and return flow,” he said.

The force draws from Polri, TNI, local government units, and community organizations, and will be stationed across 68 security posts, 22 service posts, and 5 integrated command posts. Operation Ketupat Jaya 2026 runs from March 13 to 25. 

Nationally, Deputy Chief of Police Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo also said 161,000 personnel have been mobilized under the broader Operation Ketupat 2026 umbrella.

Running in parallel, the government’s free homecoming (mudik) bus program has already been dispatching passengers. 

The Ministry of Transportation has deployed 401 buses with a combined capacity of 15,834 passengers, serving 34 destination cities across 10 provinces, with departures staged from five Jabodetabek terminals between March 16 and 18 and return trips on March 25. The Jakarta provincial government also included 30,774 verified participants in its own free homecoming program, departing March 17 from Monas.

The Ministry of Transportation estimates 143.9 million people will travel nationally during the Lebaran period, with peak traffic expected on March 16 and 18. That said, the actual turnover could exceed that figure; last year’s realization reached 154.6 million against a survey projection of 146.4 million.