Police in Bali’s Buleleng regency arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly committing fraud and sexual assault by pretending to be a shaman, showcasing yet another criminal case under the guise of alternative treatment in Indonesia.
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The suspect, identified as KFM, claimed to be a healer and allegedly requested around IDR3.3 million (around US$225) from the victim, identified as MS, to treat her for an undisclosed ailment. The suspect said the money was going towards the purchase of necessary items for his healing ritual.
Buleleng Police spokesman I Gede Sumarjaya explained in a statement issued today that the victim’s family agreed to provide the money, and the treatment was later carried out in a dark space at their house.
“Before he conducted his treatment, the suspect gathered used nails from around the house and he placed them in his pocket,” the statement said.
“The suspect pretended to massage the victim’s head with salt, and later followed this up by making it seem like nails started to come out of her head, while the other witnesses were only allowed to watch from a 2-meter distance, so everyone who was present believed the suspect’s claim,” he continued.
Police added that KFM also sexually assaulted the victim’s daughter, who has been identified as PDA. The suspect claimed that PDA was a victim of a black magic ritual and offered to help her, a process that allegedly involved him kissing PDA on the cheeks and touching her private parts.
“I am not a shaman and my collection [of antique stuff] I’d bought just to pretend. I am only attracted to the victim’s child,” KFM reportedly said during the case’s press conference.
KFM was charged with fraud and sexual assault under Indonesia’s criminal code (KUHP), the latter of which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
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