Man held for cannibalism

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga, Central Java

The people of the Central Java regency of Purbalingga were horrified by the arrest of a local 31-year-old man who confessed to stealing a human corpse and eating it in order to obtain supernatural powers.

Sumanto, a resident of Palumutan village in Kemangkon subdistrict, admitted to digging up the corpse of one Rina and eating pieces of the body.

His confession was supported by evidence found in his house, including pieces of human meat in a wok and inside three bottles, and human bones.

Sumanto was arrested after his neighbors in Palumutan discovered that the corpse of Rina, 80, had disappeared from its grave on Sunday, a day after she was buried.

The villagers organized a search for the missing body and discovered it at Sumanto's house, some three kilometers from the cemetery.

"It's savage. Only an insane person would do that," Purbalingga Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sofyan Abadi said on Thursday.

However, he said there were no signs that Sumanto was insane during his questioning by police officers.

The suspect told investigators he stole the corpse and ate it in order to gain supernatural powers and to ensure a peaceful soul.

"That is what he confessed to us. He says he was required to do this by his magic teacher. But we aren't just taking his word and are continuing to investigate," Agus said.

Police believe this may not have been the first time Sumanto has eaten human flesh, as other human bones were found in the suspect's small bamboo house.

He was for a time a suspect in the disappearance of a local villager in the middle of last year.

Sumanto is known by his neighbors as a farm laborer who keeps to himself and spends most of his time in his home. He and his father are estranged, and the father reportedly carries a machete to protect himself from his son.

Sumanto is being held at the Purbalingga Police station and is undergoing intensive questioning.