Indonesian Village Deploys 'Ghosts' to Scare Away Violators From The Streets Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

A strict lockdown has been imposed in most countries of the world amid the tensing situation of Coronavirus outbreak. However, staying in can get a bit difficult for people and there have been so many cases of violations recorded. And everyone has different ways of dealing with these people. In Indonesia, in order to get people to stay at home, "ghosts" are released on to the streets. A village named Kepuh in Indonesia has been haunted by ghosts to keep people away from the streets. The village has deployed people who dress up in all whites and patrol the streets at night. These "ghosts" locally called as "pocong" apparently jump at the people found roaming out without a purpose. Fact Check: Did Goa Police Use a 'Ghost' as Novel Technique to Scare Lockdown Violators? Know Truth About This Viral Video.

The initiative has been started by the head of the village in coordination with the police to promote social distancing and stop the spread of COVID 19. Anjar Pancaningtyas, head of a village told Reuters, "We wanted to be different and create a deterrent effect because 'pocong' are spooky and scary." In Indonesian folklore, the "pocong" are those who have trapped the souls of the dead. Villagers themselves volunteer to become these ghostly figures now. From Performing Aarti to Giving Flowers, Here's How Police Personnel Are Dealing With Coronavirus Lockdown Violators (Watch Viral Videos and Pics).

Here's a Pic of People Dressed as Ghosts:

However, at first, the initiative had the opposite effect, when more people stepped out just to catch a glimpse of the ghosts. Since then, surprise patrols have been launched. The ghostly patrols are likely to restricting movement in and out of their village. And the technique seems to be working. One of the residents was quoted in the report, "Since the pocong appeared, parents and children have not left their homes and people do not gather or stay on the streets after evening prayers." This is not the first time, such a technique has been tried here. A man from Trengganu in Malaysia dressed up as a ghost and stood outside his neighbourhood, so as the kids who would come out breaking the lockdown, would be forced to return home!

As per the report, as of now, there are 4,241 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Indonesia, and 373 are dead. The fears that the numbers will rise significantly. The villagers of Kepuh have ensured at least the ghostly patrols keep the people away.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2020 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).