GIANYAR, Bali — What began as a casual conversation about money on one of Ubud’s busiest tourist streets ended with an Algerian visitor discovering that €150 in cash was missing.

The tourist, identified by the initials IS, was walking with his wife along Jalan Monkey Forest in Ubud when they were approached by two foreign nationals they did not know.

The strangers began talking with IS, and the conversation eventually turned to currencies.

During the exchange, the two reportedly asked the tourist to show them euro banknotes. IS initially did not suspect anything unusual.

It was only afterward that he realized €150 in cash was missing.

Gianyar Police have been investigating the incident and said the two strangers were suspected of stealing the money. Police have described the alleged method as involving hypnosis, although details of how the money was taken have not yet been fully disclosed.

On Monday, Sept. 28, police confirmed that one foreign national suspected of involvement in the case had been arrested.

“Yes, hypnosis,” Gianyar Police spokesperson Ipda Gusti Ngurah Suardita told DetikBali when asked about the suspected method.

Suardita said the foreign national remained under questioning. Police have not yet disclosed the suspect’s name or nationality.

The arrest follows an investigation in which police used CCTV footage and witness information to trace those suspected of involvement.

Authorities had previously said their search had extended beyond Gianyar as investigators worked to establish the identities and whereabouts of the suspects.

The case remains under investigation, and police have not yet announced further details about the second person who allegedly approached the Algerian tourist.

Police have urged residents and visitors to remain cautious when approached by strangers in public places, particularly when conversations involve money or requests to show cash.