Suspected robber beaten up

JAKARTA (JP): Residents in Cakung Timur, East Jakarta, beat up a man who allegedly hypnotized two people and stole their belongings on Tuesday night.

The suspect, identified as Joni, suffered severe injuries on his head, neck and back. He was treated at the police hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. Two other suspects are still at large.

East Jakarta Police said locals heard a scream from one of the victims, Nasib, who had regained consciousness after being hypnotized by Joni and his friends.

A resident reported the incident to the police but the suspect had already been beaten up.

Nasib, a 45-year-old trader, told police that Joni and his friends first hypnotized him and then told him to squeeze an agate stone in his hands, which they claimed could protect him from sharp objects.

"They sliced my arm with a razor blade to prove it, and it was true. They said, if I wanted such power, I must give them my ring," said Nasib, as quoted by East Jakarta chief detective Sen. Ins. Agus Irianto.

Nasib then handed his ring to Joni and his friends, who escaped, but Nasib soon regained consciousness and screamed.

Shortly after, a woman was found unconscious not far from the first scene. She told police that she had just lost her gold jewelry and Rp 1.8 million in cash.

"She was in shock and couldn't tell us anything," the police officer said, adding that the victim was Indah Hasanah, a 30-year-old housewife.

She told police that she had been hypnotized and robbed by some men, whom police say could be the same suspects who robbed Nasib earlier. (07)