Jakarta Police arrest gang of five “hypnotists” who allegedly stole from over 100 victims

Judging by the number of similar stories we’ve read about in the local news, hypnotism is not only a real thing, it is also a highly effective tool that can be used by criminals to convince people to hand over their belongings without a fight.

The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Jakarta Police recently arrested five fraudsters whose alleged modus operandi was mesmerizing their victims. Police say the five worked together as a team and preyed on people who were alone. They were arrested on Tuesday in Bogor. 

Police said the hypnotic hucksters would go up to potential victims to ask for directions. Two of them would then use their powers of persuasion to convince the victims to give up their personal goods. 

“The victims did not realize they had given their valuables, such as laptops, cellphones and money, to the perpetrators,” Police Commissioner Ari Cahyo told Tempo yesterday.

Police said that by the time the hypnotic spell had been broken, the perpetrators had already vanished. After questioning the five suspects, police said that they had admitted to committing the crime over 100 times in areas around Jakarta and had used the money they had stolen to buy land in Bogor.

Ari said police were still investigating the case. The five suspects will be charged with and could face up to four years in prison.



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