Family of Murder Victim Man Colik Holds Mecaru Ritual at Crime Scene, Hopes for Swift Arrest

The family of I Wayan Cita (50), known as Man Colik, a murder victim in Klungkung, Bali, held a Mecaru ritual at the crime scene on the Bubuh River, Lepang Traditional Village, Banjarangkan District, on Monday morning. The ceremony was intended to summon the victim’s spirit, which is believed to have not yet returned, and to pray for the swift capture of the perpetrator.

Led by a mangku (traditional priest), dozens of family members began the procession at 9:00 a.m. WITA by preparing offerings at the location where Man Colik is believed to have taken his last breath. After communal prayers, the ritual concluded with the release of a black duck and offerings into the Bubuh River.

The victim’s younger sibling, I Ketut Buda Ana, explained that the ritual was part of a series of ceremonies including Nebusin, Ngulapin, and Mecaru. ‘We performed Nebusin, Ngulapin, and Mecaru. Nebusin aims to call the spirit (atma) back to its physical body. Mecaru is to neutralise this location so that such an incident does not happen again,’ Buda Ana stated. The family also prayed during the spirit-calling procession for the murder case to be solved quickly.

The Mecaru ritual is believed by Hindus to purify the environment and neutralise negative energy, or Bhuta Kala, transforming it into positive force. Buda Ana emphasised that the family entrusts the legal process entirely to the police and hopes the investigation will be concluded soon. He added that similar rituals will be held leading up to the cremation ceremony (ngaben) to neutralise the unnatural death, known as ‘salah pati’, so that it becomes a normal passing.

Man Colik, a lawar godel vendor, was found dead floating in the Bubuh River on Thursday, 2 July, with multiple stab wounds. His gold necklace was reported missing. The Klungkung Police Criminal Investigation Unit has processed the crime scene, examined witnesses, collected evidence, and reviewed CCTV footage. Police spokesperson Iptu I Dewa Nyoman Alit Purnawiba confirmed the autopsy revealed four stab wounds and that 13 witnesses have been questioned to date.