Sarawak police in the city of Sibu are reporting today that a self-professed medium, aka bomoh, has been arrested after allegedly cheating a local woman out of RM20,000 (US$5,000) worth of jewelry.
Senior officer Stanley Jonathan Ringgit told media that the climax to an elaborate scam occurred over the weekend, and that the suspect in police custody is a Chinese national.
A post on the entire matter went viral on social media shortly after the bomoh was captured and surrounded by members of the public at a coffee shop opposite the Jalan Mahsuri market.
https://www.facebook.com/ngu.hownhua/posts/2375339352486988
Describing how the 46-year-old suspect first approached the scam victim at the popular Sibu market in March of this year, she then told the unsuspecting woman that her eldest child was destined to die in an accident unless she made an “offering.”
Taken aback, the woman then followed the suspect into a nearby car, where the suspect then told the victim that their child would die by 5pm, and then informed them that, as a medium, she would be willing to perform a prayer to save the child.
You can pretty much guess where this is going: As it were, thoughts and prayers don’t come free, and the suspect managed to convince the woman to relieve herself of a gold necklace, three bracelets, three rings, and two pairs of earrings.
In a move beloved by bomohs and mediums alike, the suspect then gave the woman a plastic bag, telling her that her jewels were inside. She told her to leave the bag closed for two months, and only after to open it.
The victim, believing the ruse to be real, did as she was told. However, when she finally did open the plastic bag, she discovered that her valuables were not inside, and that its contents were two bottles of mineral water, and a pack of table salt inside.
Yesterday morning, while at the same market where she had been duped, the victim spotted the suspect. Asking for her nephew’s assistance, the woman managed to apprehend the suspect and turn her over to police.
Police are now investigating the matter.
