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Police hunt Banten martial art ‘master’
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Children demonstrate their pencak silat martial art skills in Jakarta on Oct. 25, 2016. (JP/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)
T
he Tangerang Police in Banten are hunting down a martial art "master" in Rawa Kopi, Pakuhaji district, whose teachings have put 14 of his apprentices into danger.
The man claimed to be a master of Debus, a Banten traditional martial art and an ancient ceremony of proving the power of faith. A typical Debus performance includes attempts to slash one’s body with a machete or set oneself on fire.
Tangerang Police chief Sr. Comr. Harry Kurniawan said on Monday that the man recently went under the radar following a report that 14 men had suffered burns after the "master" told them to wash their hands with acid to test their invulnerability.
The feat severely injured those who attempted it last Thursday, as they were then rushed to Mitra Husada Hospital.
The Debus instructor escaped from the scene.
"We have deployed personnel to trace his whereabouts," Harry said as quoted by kompas.com.
He said the dangerous feat was attempted after they had undergone a week of training. (fac)
