Ahmad Suradji’s father visited him in a dream. He came from the afterlife, visiting his son to tell him that the only way Ahmad would ever become a great witch doctor / sorcerer was if he sacrificed 70 women and drank their saliva.
So he did.
So he did.
Power in Womens Saliva...
Suradji on trial. Ahmad Suradji lived in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, Indonesia. He had a great reputation and was much sort after when it come to matters of the heart, of the wallet and of the body. He was known as a witch doctor, and described as a ‘traditional sorcerer’. It therefore came as a shock to his clients when he was arrested for the murder of several different women.
One night Ahmad had a dream and in his dream his dead father appeared to him. His father told him that to be a great sorcerer, he needed to kill 70 women and drink their saliva. Most people would wake from a dream like that and head straight to a psychiatrist... but not Ahmad. Ahmad decided to do what his dream father told him to do, and set out to fulfil that wish.
When clients would come to see him, and if he thought their death may not be noticed (many of his victims were prostitutes), he would lure them to a sugar-cane field nearby his house. Once there, he would bury them up to the waist, telling them that this was a requirement for the magic he was about to perform. But once buried, when they couldn’t move, he would strangle them to death, and while they were dying, he would drink the saliva that dribbled from their mouths as they struggled.
One night Ahmad had a dream and in his dream his dead father appeared to him. His father told him that to be a great sorcerer, he needed to kill 70 women and drink their saliva. Most people would wake from a dream like that and head straight to a psychiatrist... but not Ahmad. Ahmad decided to do what his dream father told him to do, and set out to fulfil that wish.
When clients would come to see him, and if he thought their death may not be noticed (many of his victims were prostitutes), he would lure them to a sugar-cane field nearby his house. Once there, he would bury them up to the waist, telling them that this was a requirement for the magic he was about to perform. But once buried, when they couldn’t move, he would strangle them to death, and while they were dying, he would drink the saliva that dribbled from their mouths as they struggled.
Recovering bodies from the land near the house. Once the poor victim had died he would then uncover them and move them closer to his home. He would rebury them, with different parts of their body facing his home. These sacrifices, he believed, gave him extra power.
It is possible that he could have gone on killing for many more years, if it wasn’t for the fact that he chose a victim whose family didn’t give in when their daughter did not return home. The father of the victim knew where she had gone, and when she didn’t come home, he rang the police. The police visited Ahmad and while there, found the body of a dead girl in the field near his house. This naturally sparked a frantic search.
At first Ahmad thought if he confessed to some killings, then the police would not commit such a thorough search, so he told them that yes, he had killed 16 times in the past five years. This backfired on him though, because the police believed that when thoroughly searching the house, they could find the special effects and clothing of at least 25 different people, so they continued searching.
It is possible that he could have gone on killing for many more years, if it wasn’t for the fact that he chose a victim whose family didn’t give in when their daughter did not return home. The father of the victim knew where she had gone, and when she didn’t come home, he rang the police. The police visited Ahmad and while there, found the body of a dead girl in the field near his house. This naturally sparked a frantic search.
At first Ahmad thought if he confessed to some killings, then the police would not commit such a thorough search, so he told them that yes, he had killed 16 times in the past five years. This backfired on him though, because the police believed that when thoroughly searching the house, they could find the special effects and clothing of at least 25 different people, so they continued searching.
An angry mob trashes Suradji's home. In the end, the police retrieved 43 bodies of women, in various forms of decay, in the land surrounding Ahmad’s house. These women’s ages ranged from 11 years of age to 30.
Ahmad and his wife were both arrested and charged with murder. A sensational trial was held, during which Ahmad changed his tune and claimed that his confession was under duress from the police, and he did not kill a single soul. It made no difference, the evidence was mounting, and eventually he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by firing squad. Apparently everyone in the courtroom cheered as the sentence was relayed.
On 10 July, 2008, Ahmad made his final wish – and that was to see his wife one last time. This was permitted. He was then taken to the execution ground, and I can only imagine he would have been blindfolded, placed in front of a pole, with a piece of distinguishing material, such as a square of white cloth, placed over his heart (this is so the members of the firing squad knew where to aim).
There was a failed, last minute appeal to save his life by Amnesty Interna-tional, but Ahmad appeared to be resigned to his fate as his life was extinguished – and in a much quicker and more humane way than those of his victims.
Ahmad and his wife were both arrested and charged with murder. A sensational trial was held, during which Ahmad changed his tune and claimed that his confession was under duress from the police, and he did not kill a single soul. It made no difference, the evidence was mounting, and eventually he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by firing squad. Apparently everyone in the courtroom cheered as the sentence was relayed.
On 10 July, 2008, Ahmad made his final wish – and that was to see his wife one last time. This was permitted. He was then taken to the execution ground, and I can only imagine he would have been blindfolded, placed in front of a pole, with a piece of distinguishing material, such as a square of white cloth, placed over his heart (this is so the members of the firing squad knew where to aim).
There was a failed, last minute appeal to save his life by Amnesty Interna-tional, but Ahmad appeared to be resigned to his fate as his life was extinguished – and in a much quicker and more humane way than those of his victims.
By Peet Banks 2014
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