Healer nabbed for alleged murder

TANGERANG: The police detained an alternative healer along with his neighbor on Friday for allegedly killing a patient while performing medicinal treatment.

On Thursday evening, the healer, Hamzah, 57, resident of Cimanggis in Depok, West Java, called up Ricki, the son of 59- year-old Pipi Hapipah, and told him that his mother had fainted at his house since morning.

Ricki asked them to bring his mother to their house in Karawaci, Tangerang. Hamzah and his neighbor, Agus, appeared one hour later with his mother's stiff body.

They brought the body to Al-Qadr hospital and the doctor in charge confirmed that Pipi had been dead for hours. The doctors found her ribs and legs were broken, while the body was covered with bruises.

"My mother was fine when she left home this morning in a taxi to the healer," Ricki said.

Hamzah said he did not beat the woman to death, telling the police that the death was just an accident. -- JP