SIBU: An elderly housewife seeking traditional treatment was left traumatised after losing cash and jewellery worth about RM317,000 to a shaman syndicate here.
The victim, in her 70s, is believed to have been duped using scare tactics, with the suspects claiming that her son would be involved in a serious road accident.
Sibu district police chief ACP Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said the victim lodged a police report on Sunday (Aug 23), following the incident on Jul 19.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
“Initial investigations found that the victim was approached by an unknown woman, believed to be a Chinese national, while she was in the market area.
“The woman asked the victim for the location of a traditional medicine shop to obtain medicine for her mother-in-law.
“Shortly afterwards, another woman, believed to have a similar accent, approached the victim and offered to take her to a shop allegedly owned by her relative,” he said in a statement.
The victim was subsequently taken to a vehicle with the suspect.
Abang Zainal said that while in the vehicle, one of the suspects claimed to be able to read the victim’s face before telling her that her child would be involved in a serious road accident that same day.
The tactic was believed to have been used to instil fear and persuade the victim to follow the suspect’s instructions.
“The suspect then offered a protection ceremony and instructed the victim to hand over cash and jewellery for the purpose.
“Fearing for her child’s safety, the victim followed the instructions and handed over the cash and jewellery, which were estimated to be worth RM317,000 in total,” he said.
Police are now conducting investigations to track down the suspect and identify the network involved in the fraudulent activity.
Meanwhile, Abang Zainal reminded the public not to be easily deceived by strangers who use traditional treatment, rituals, protection ceremonies or ‘good luck’ as a pretext to obtain money and jewellery.
He also advised the public to immediately seek help from the authorities if they encounter suspicious situations, particularly when they are asked to hand over cash, jewellery or other valuables for any reason.
Information and advice on fraud cases can be obtained by contacting the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
The public can also check bank accounts and suspicious phone numbers through the Royal Malaysia Police Semak Mule portal.
