The man claimed he had supernatural control over the crocs and that they would not hurt him.
A shaman from Kalimantan, Indonesia is dead after entering crocodile-infested waters to search for the body of a local teen.
The man, named Suprianto, claimed he had supernatural control over the crocs, and that they would not hurt him, allowing him to search for the teen’s body.
The teen, Arjuna, had gone missing the day before after a suspected crocodile attack.
In a video, taken by an onlooker, Suprianto can be seen in the water, swimming, and chanting. He claimed his powers would protect him, and help him find the boy.
In the video, Suprianto starts out in shallower water, spending a moment beneath the surface, his hands clasped. Then, he makes his way further out into the water, continuing to chant.
Then, suddenly, he’s dragged underwater with a crocodile seen swimming away later.
Police recovered Suprianto’s floating body, as well as the body of the teen, later that night.
Despite being dragged under by the crocodile, local police do not believe the attack was the cause of death in either case.
“I think he was dragged by a croc under the water and then ran out of oxygen,” Police Chief Fadillah Zulkarnaen told the local news. “From the pictures I’ve seen, his body is still intact, his arms and legs are still there.” The police chief also noted that Arjuna’s corpse was also intact.
The two incidents are just the latest in a string of reptile-related deaths plaguing the small Indonesian town.
In July, another shaman performed a “calling ritual” on a crocodile, after the croc dragged a bather into the river.
After local police had no luck finding the man’s body, a shaman was called to perform a ritual to summon the crocodile.
It seemed to work, as three crocodiles emerged from the river, one of them dragging the man’s body in its jaws. It then left the body and swam away.
In March, a man was swallowed whole by a 23-foot-long snake while harvesting his crops.
Enjoyed this? Check out this baby hippo who’s just trying to make friends. Then, read about how Nile crocodiles are invading the Everglades.
