A pair of sisters hoping to turn their luck around reportedly paid an Indonesian man a hefty $1450 for nine bottles of ‘holy water’, only to feel cheated after their lives did not change after drinking the beverage. On top of this, the sisters and their family continued to be hounded by the Indonesian who kept asking them for more money, prompting them to lodge a police report.
One of the sisters, 30-year-old Madam Yang, told the Chinese daily that she lives in a Bukit Batok flat with her husband, sister and their father. She added that both she and her husband are unemployed and that their two children and presently living with foster families.
Madam Yang’s sister is the sole breadwinner of the household. She was the one who was first taken in by the Indonesian seller who would frequent their block, selling scavenged goods, and became a regular customer.
Having been disturbed for a few months that their house was “unclean” and that something had been tugging at her feet while she slept, Madam Yang’s sister became attracted to the seller’s claims that the 50-year-old ‘holy water’ could solve her problems.
Madam Yang shared: “I don’t know how the man came to know about this, but he told my sister that he had a solution to her problems. My sister believed him and wanted me to go along to see him.”
The seller was an eloquent speaker, according to Madam Yang, who claimed to be a “spiritual consultant” capable of solving a myriad of problems with his ‘holy water’. The seller allegedly bragged that consuming a spoonful of the water and showering with the remaining liquid would solve any of their problems.
Madam Yang cried: “I don’t know why, but I too was taken in by him. I thought of my two children, and hoped to use the power of the ‘holy water’ so they could return home.”
The sisters allegedly spent $1450 on 9 bottles of the substance that were contained in transparent plastic bottles and looked no different from normal water. Mdm Yang reportedly spent $400 for four bottles of ‘holy water’, while her sister spent $800 for five bottles. It remains unclear who paid the remaining $250.
The sisters’ hopes were dashed when the ‘holy water’ failed to work and they did not find their luck turning around. Instead, they started facing more problems when the man began hounding them for more money even though his product did not deliver results.
When Madam Yang declined to give him more money and asked for a refund, the Indonesian man refused and instead taunted her to call the police, besides threatening to curse her children if she did not give him more money.
Angry, Madam Yang contacted the police. She said, “My life did not turn around after drinking the ‘holy water’. I have called the police and I hope to publicise the matter so as to encourage others to be more careful.”