The South Jakarta Police have arrested a shaman who they said sexually abused at least four women after convincing them it was necessary to get rid of the evil spirits surrounding their bodies.
A victim, identified by her initials AZ (25), reported the shaman, identified as Kebayoran Lama resident DAP, to the police on Jan. 28, opening up an investigation and leading to his arrest on Monday.
“The perpetrator always told his victims — women aged 20-30 — that there are spirits surrounding their bodies that are blocking their auras,” said Bismo Teguh Prakoso, head of the Crime Investigation Unit at the South Jakarta Police, as quoted by Warta Kota yesterday.
In AZ’s case, the police said she consulted DAP for spiritual healing in November. DAP convinced AZ that in order to get rid of a genderuwo (a monstrous, hairy ape-like spirit creature) that has been hanging around her and blocking her aura, he had to carry out several rituals, including, at first, touching her private parts.
During a consultation in December, DAP told AZ that the genderuwo had been expelled, but that there was still a djinn (a supernatural creature from Islamic mythology) resembling an old lady that was blocking her aura.
“The perpetrator said that the djinn in the victim’s body must mate with the djinn in the perpetrator’s body through (the victim and the perpetrator) getting physically intimate,” said South Jakarta Police Chief Mardiaz Kusin.
On Jan. 21, DAP asked AZ to come for one last session in order to get rid of the spirit of the old lady for good through lovemaking. It’s not clear what made AZ finally realize DAP was a fraud, but she reported him to the police a week later.
After interrogating DAP, the police believe that the shaman has carried out the same scam on at least three other young women. DAP has been charged with rape and could be jailed for up to 12 years.
Shamans are still prevalent in Indonesia, even in urban areas. In September last year, police in Depok arrested a shaman who claimed that she could cure sexual impotence and recover the virginity of her victims.
