Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Shaman trapped woman in cave for 15 years

- By Siobhán O’Grady

The girl was only 13 when she disappeare­d. Her parents had taken her to a shaman near their home in rural Indonesia for treatment and left her with him, but she never came back. The shaman told them that she had gone to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, to find work. They never heard from her again.

But this week, 15 years after her disappeara­nce, the now-28-year-old woman — whom authoritie­s are calling only “H” — was found in a cave near the shaman’s home. He allegedly had kept her there the entire time, raping her and convincing her that he was possessed by a jinn, or spirit.

The police rescued the woman on Sunday.

Muhammad Iqbal Alqudusy, the police chief of Central Sulawesi province, said the shaman told “H” that he was possessed by the spirit of a boy named Amrin, Reuters reported. He showed her a photo of Amrin and brainwashe­d her into believing that he was her boyfriend. “She was led to believe that Amrin’s spirit had entered [the elderly man’s] body,” the police chief said. “It is obvious that he wassatisfy­ing his lust.”

“H” would apparently sit hidden in a cave of boulders during the day and stay overnight in a hut close to the shaman’s house.

According to the Jakarta Post, the elderly man also told police that he had provided “H” potions to terminate multiple pregnancie­s over the years. The shaman faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of coercing a minor into intercours­e and may face other charges, as well.

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