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The boar demon hunt that shook the internet
A fixture of Indonesian folklore, the babi ngepet is a demon shrouded in mystery, violence, and poverty.
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The "babi ngepet" is a mythical boar demon believed to steal from people's homes in the dead of night. (JP/Illustration by Hengky Wijaya)
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scourge has fallen upon the sleepy subdistrict of Bedahan, Depok, West Java. For months, its residents had reported many incidents of burglary and theft — various personal possessions and up to Rp 2 million (US$138.48) in cash. To the residents, there was only one possible explanation: They had been victims of a babi ngepet (shapeshifting boar demon) and it was their duty to hunt it down.
Stories of their dramatic hunt have taken Indonesian internet by storm. In a widely shared video posted on the TikTok account of local resident Lukman Nurjamal’s, a crowd of hundreds can be seen descending upon Bedahan, eager to see the alleged babi ngepet. Other footage shows a nervous piglet trapped in a small rectangular cage, appearing weak and disoriented.
“People have been talking about this babi ngepet for the last four to five months,” Lukman told to The Jakarta Post. “They say this babi ngepet moves from kampung to kampung, clearing out people’s homes before running away. So, when it began operating around Bedahan, people were ready. They had been eyeing this guy for some time.”
Then, the grisly aftermath: a man standing triumphant amid the crowd, carrying the dead boar’s head in his hands.
The specter of poverty
A fixture of Indonesian folklore, the babi ngepet is a demon shrouded in mystery, violence, and poverty. It was believed that thieves skilled in black magic could transform into a monstrous, hulking boar. The wereboar would then wander around a residential area, breaking into houses and stealing its contents.
The ritual needed to achieve this dubious power is Faustian in nature. According to the Book of Betawi Folklore compiled by the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency, two people (typically a husband and wife) must first seek out a shaman and offer up a blood sacrifice to the dark forces, preferably their own kin or child. In exchange, they would receive the powers needed to transform into a babi ngepet.
