JOHOR BARU: A 60-year old pensioner lost a whopping RM130,000 to an Indonesian bomoh, who had claimed that he could double the cash via a money-conjuring spell.
The incident occurred on the morning of Aug 22 when the pensioner visited the bomoh, known as Pak Edi, at a hotel in Taman Daya.
She had brought along the RM130,000 in a suitcase.
Johor Baru Selatan district police chief Assistant Commissioner Sulaiman Salleh said that after meeting the bomoh, the woman was told to hang on to another suitcase.
“The bomoh told the woman that he needed to bring her suitcase containing the cash to a bank in the city to complete the spell.
“To reassure her, the bomoh allowed her husband to tag along for the process,” he said.
However, as they were walking to the city centre, the bomoh, who was holding the money, managed to give the woman’s husband the slip and soon disappeared into the lunch hour crowd.
The husband then rang his wife and asked her to check on the suitcase she was holding. Upon opening the bag, she only found stacks of blank paper.
Sulaiman said police are now hunting the bomoh and his accomplice, both in their 50s.
“This is another scam which the public should be wary of. There is no quick way to get rich as crooks are just waiting to the slightest opportunity to steal your life savings," said Sulaiman.