Thursday, July 26, 2007

Indonesia probes 8 poisoning deaths linked to self-proclaimed sorcerers

Police were investigating the deaths of eight poison victims who allegedly died after giving thousands of dollars (euros) to men claiming to be sorcerers.

Six men were detained for questioning in the Lebak district, 100 kilometers (60 kilometers) west of Jakarta, after the bodies of the victims were dug out of shared graves in May and June, said local police chief Lt. Col. Dwi Gunawan.

The victims were allegedly tricked into believing the "wizards" could make them wealthy by taking part in a ritual during which they were instructed to drink a potion.

"The victims were asked to get into a hole after drinking poison", said Gunawan "When the victims collapsed they buried them."

The majority of people in Indonesia, the world's fourth-largest country, are Muslim, but there is also widespread belief in supernatural or animistic powers.

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