Residents attack shaman's house

CILACAP, Central Java: Hundreds of people mobbed and destroyed on Monday a house belonging to a 65-year-old man whom they believed was responsible for the death of a woman in the village of Kalikude.

Cilacap Police chief Supt. Bambang Sudarisman told reporters here on Tuesday the villagers believed that Tanto Prawiro was a shaman who had killed a 50-year-old woman, Kaisah, with his black magic.

Tanto, who was saved by the police, said at the police station that Kaisah's death was due to her long illness. "She had been crippled before her death. Her relatives had visited many doctors, yet she could not be cured, until one day members of her family asked me to cure her."

After two days of being treated by Tanto, the woman died, the police quoted Tanto as saying.

Kaisah relatives accused Tanto of killing her.

The officers could not stop the mob from destroying Tanto's house. "We are sorry. We could not save the house despite our efforts to stop the mob," Bambang said. (45)