Seven arrested for treasure hunt in Bogor Botanical Garden
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor, West Java
Seven would-be treasure hunters on a mystically inspired mission to dig up the Bogor Botanical Gardens were nabbed by police in the early hours of Friday morning.
One of the seven, Rahmawati, told officers at the Bogor Police precinct that she received a wangsit (divine inspiration) from a Dutch woman in a dream on Tuesday in which she was told make a devotional visit to the graves of Dutch people the woman said were buried inside the garden compound.
The next day, Rahmawati and husband Bambang, who live in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, went to the site near the Mexico garden and found a brown pouch with two stones inside and a piece of paper with Dutch writing on it.
"The paper was dated the year 1802 and said there was treasure in the garden. After finding the pouch we went home," said Rahmawati, who claimed she could speak Dutch.
Later that night, she dreamed of meeting the Dutch woman who told her to return to the garden and look for the grave of Queen Siluman (a mythical figure who takes the appearance of an animal for mischievous purposes).
"The lady said in my dream that there were blocks of gold and platinum under the grave. They would be enough to pay the state debts," she said.
On Thursday at 9 p.m., Rahmawati and Bambang took their neighbors to the site and started digging. Five hours later, police arrived and arrested them.
Bogor Police detectives chief, Adj. Comr. Yayan Sopian, said that police got a tipoff about the treasure hunters at 12:30 a.m.
"We are still questioning the suspects and investigating the case. We will call experts find out if they have damaged a place of cultural heritage or destroyed the garden conservatory area," he said.
Bogor Botanical Garden head of services and information Sugiarti said she had no knowledge of the existence of the Queen Siluman grave.
"There is a grave in the garden that is often visited by locals. It is the grave of Mbah (grandfather) Jepra located near the Ciliwung river that flows through the garden," she said. Jepra was a commander during the Pajajaran Kingdom.
The latest incident is the second case in recent times where people have hunted for treasure in Bogor. In August 2002, the Minister of Religious Affairs, Said Agil Al Munawar, was strongly criticized after he ordered an excavation on a site near a stone inscription from the 16th century Pajajaran Kingdom.
Said claimed that he was told by a "wise man" and that the treasure, if discovered, could repay the country's ballooning foreign debt.
The government is burdened with domestic and foreign debts of US$130 billion.
The 87-hectare Bogor Botanical Gardens host 15,000 species of tropical plants, which include 400 types of magnificent palms and the world's largest flower, the Rafflesia.