PETALING JAYA, May 3 — Malaysians continue to fall victim to bomohs, losing millions each year to the Malay shamans, according to police.

In a Harian Metro report today, Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (Syndicated/Credit Card/E-Card) assistant director ACP Adlan Ahmad said victims lost a total of RM7.7 million in 2017 compared to RM6.2 million in 2016.

He said investigators were surprised to learn that victims include prominent figures.

Adlan said bomohs still easily persuade their victims through trickery, convincing many that they possessed supernatural powers to cure illnesses.

Victims also cut across all major races, he said.

"The Malays seek the help of bomohs to cure their mysterious illness and to get charms, the Chinese usually visits them to get rid of bad omens and the Indians go to them in hope of changing their fate.

"Knowing how desperate the victims are, the bomohs will take full advantage of their situation.

"They usually make their victims commit to carrying out long-term rituals so that they can make money for a long run,” Adlan was quoted as saying.

Adlan said that in 2017, police crippled several bomoh syndicates including one operated by a prominent 58-year-old numerologist.

He said police received 13 police reports against the suspect who has appeared on radio and TV shows.

The victims were from Selangor, Perak and Johor, with losses reported to be close to RM800,000.