Hypnotism is transfixing Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): City residents are worried about the growth in crime committed by men and women, armed only with words to daze and deceive their victims.

In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post, several victims urged the police to take immediate action to stop these people, who have started preying on poorer people from the villages.

Victims report they were helpless, and had to obey the robbers' instructions, giving up their jewelry and other valuables or handing over all the money in their bank account.

It seems the groups have various techniques. Often, the operation will involve at least two accomplices, sometimes a child.

Nesah, a 60-year-old housewife from the small village of Pabuaran in Tangerang, 35 kilometers west of here, said she had a painful experience a few weeks ago on a minibus to the local Malabar market.

On the minibus, once of the three male passengers struck up a conversation and offered to exchange his three pieces of "foreign currency worth Rp 5 million" for her jewelry.

After a short conversation, the old woman handed over all the jewelry she was wearing and took them home to give them her remaining jewelry and Rp 750,000 in cash.

Nesah only realized she had been cheated when a money changer refused to accept her "foreign currency".

N. Herbawati from Mampang in South Jakarta said that her mother-in-law, a university lecturer, was tricked in Blok M Plaza by a group of women who styled themselves "wise women" from an Islamic Boarding School in Central Java.

After being preached at for a little while, her mother-in-law found herself unable to reject the women's demands. The luckless lecturer then gave them all her valuables and withdrew all her savings from a bank nearby, Rp 10 million.

In return, she was handed a bag of white paper and white-and- yellow coins.

Another Tangerang housewife, who refused to be named, said the she was deceived by a woman wearing a jilbab (Moslem scarf) who was with her five-year-old girl she claimed was her daughter.

The woman came up to her and asked her to take care of her daughter for a while as she wanted to buy something to eat at a nearby canteen.

A few minutes later, the woman came back and asked the woman to put all her valuables, worth around Rp 150,000, into a handkerchief. Later, she found the handkerchief was empty.

Shopping centers, bus stops and terminals are the favorite places for the criminals. Some said that they observe their potential victims before the "sting" to make sure they are worth robbing.

Unfortunately, there have been no authenticated reports so far about the "tools" used by these people, believed to be a well- organized syndicate.

Many believed that they use the power of black magic or hypnotism, using words and body contact to temporarily "paralyze" their victims, who then hand over their belongings.

All of the victims say that they gave up their money and jewelry without a fight and only realized that they had been cheated later.

"I regained consciousness only after the fourth day," said Nesah, the old woman.

A number of foreigners have also been among the victims of the criminals.

Andi Benson, an Australian, wrote in Your Letters of June 17, 1996 that his wife was hypnotized by two men at Kelapa Gading Mall.

She "found herself unable to resist withdrawing money from her account and handing it over to the crooks," he wrote.

Benson said that his wife regained consciousness only after the men had fled in a taxi.

Reni, and Tony Pangihutan, two of the Post's employees, recalled their experience as "a bloody nightmare."

"I swear to God that I'll kick them if they try to cheat me again," said secretary Reni, who lost around Rp 10 million.

She took them from her office to the bedroom of her house to hand over her cash.

Pangihutan said: "From the beginning, I knew that these men wanted to cheat me but I don't know why I just followed their instructions and later gave them all my stuff, my wallet, documents, Rp 130,000 in cash, jewelry, a radio beeper and even my new tennis rackets and a wet T-shirt to them."

Pangihutan was cheated by a group of three men, who pretending not to know each other, in Pasar Baru shopping center in Central Jakarta last Saturday afternoon. He said he tried to get away from the group but "it was too hard."

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said that this kind of crime is quite common.

"We hope the victims report these cases immediately to help us track down the suspects," Iman said here yesterday. (bsr/28)