Ugly magic
David Copperfield has recently been dazzling Jakartan audiences with his own special brand of magic. While the price of tickets was rather high, I'm sure those who attended walked away satisfied.
Unlike Mr. Copperfield, who uses his talent to entertain, there exists an ugly element in our society who are using magic as a means of exploiting unsuspecting individuals and robbing them of their money. The exploits of this group have been well- documented in the Pos Kota daily, Kompas and The Jakarta Post.
Being Australian, I would have found the idea of being "hypnotized" in a shopping mall in broad daylight hard to believe, until the same thing that happened to Antonia (The Jakarta Post, May 31, 1996) also happened to my wife at Kelapa Gading Mall. Although my wife recalls clearly what the two con- artists looked like and said, she found herself unable to resist taking money from her account and handing it over to the crooks. Only when the men had fled in a taxi did my wife become conscious of what had occurred.
Since reporting these two low-lives to the local police, I know this much: they choose to prey on single, female shoppers. They operate in pairs. The first "con" approaches asking, for assistance, sometimes for directions. His assailant then moves in to help maintain eye contact and overwhelms the victim. The men are well-dressed and sometimes use Malaysian accents. These men belong to an underground organization and are professionals. The two that assaulted my wife are on file at the local police station, and have already spent time in jail for similar offenses committed three years ago.
It's not the loss of money that angers me (we missed out on going to see David) but rather the abuse of another innocent's mind. I'd like to thank the local authorities for their continuing concern and search for these culprits.
Shoppers, please beware. If you know any information regarding these phonies, please speak up. Maybe we (the community) can cast a "disappearing act" on them.
ANDI BENSON
Jakarta