Barefaced chicanery

Barefaced chicanery

From Bisnis Indonesia

My mother-in-law (who is a university lecturer and also a
hajjah) was recently deceived by a group of women who called
themselves "wise women" from an Islamic Boarding School in
Central Java. At about 1 p.m., she was met by the group at Blok M
Plaza in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. One of the group began
preaching to my mother-in-law and stressed the need for purifying
all belongings.

Although my mother-in-law did not fully believe the preacher,
she did not have enough vision to reject the women's demand, and
obeyed her instructions. One of the gang members accompanied my
mother-in-law to her home in Mampang and took her valuables. The
preacher also asked for her savings account number, apparently
because the money she kept at home was too little.

The woman and my mother-in-law then went to BNI'46 in Blok M
where they again met the other three women. She withdrew the
money from the bank and gave it and the valuables to the women.
The gang asked my mother-in-law to again return home and get more
valuables. They gave my mother-in-law a black plastic bag in
return, telling her that it could only be opened at magrib prayer
time. The four women then left.

A couple of minutes later my mother-in-law regained
consciousness and realized she had been deceived and robbed.
In the plastic bag she found pieces of white paper and white and
yellow coins. Over 10 million rupiah was stolen.

The South Jakarta police told her these robberies happen all
the time.

N. HERBAWATI

Jakarta