A 51-YEAR-OLD single mother from Chukai in Terengganu has lost RM103,000 after falling victim to a conman who posed as a traditional healer on the messaging app Telegram, Rompin police confirmed today.
District police chief Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said the woman first came into contact with the suspect on 1 September, when he offered spiritual healing services through the platform and claimed she was the target of a black magic curse.
“She then contacted the suspect via Telegram and was told she had been hexed,” he said in a statement. “The suspect offered to help her remove the curse.”
According to police, the woman – who works as a seamstress – claimed she was in a trance-like state when she complied with the suspect’s instructions, including displaying her gold jewellery and selling four gold bangles worth RM71,350.
On Wednesday at approximately 4.30pm, she travelled to Bukit Serok in Kota Bahagia as directed by the suspect, where she left RM71,000 in cash and a gold necklace beside a drain.
“The suspect informed her that the items would be returned within two weeks,” said Sharif Shai.
The woman was also instructed to record and send an explicit video involving a man. However, she instead filmed herself and ultimately sent nude images to the suspect on the same day.
The next morning, she returned to the location where she had left the money and jewellery, only to find them missing. Realising she had been deceived, she lodged a report at the Kota Bahagia Police Station.
Police are now searching for the suspect, and investigations are being carried out under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
“The public is advised not to be easily duped by offers of mystical healing from unknown individuals via messaging apps or social media,” said Sharif Shai. - Sept 6, 2025
