Indonesian villagers thought they had been blessed by an angel fallen from heaven when a beautiful doll washed up on a beach – only to discover it was an inflatable sex toy.
Rapidly-spreading reports of a heavenly offering and fears of possible social unrest prompted a police investigation.
Detectives who arrived in the remote spot soon punctured the theory of divine intervention.
“When our officers arrived they saw that the ‘fallen angel’ was just a doll, it was a sex toy,” local police chief Heru Pramukarno told AFP.
Villager Pardin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, found the doll when he was fishing off the remote Banggai islands off Sulawesi in central Indonesia, police said.
Indonesian villagers thought they had been blessed by an angel fallen from heaven when a beautiful doll washed up on a beach
The discovery in March came a day after a solar eclipse swept across the area, a deeply spiritual experience in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country. This led superstitious locals to believe the two events were linked.
Pardin took the partially inflated doll to his home in Kalupapi village, where it was treated with great reverence.
His mother gave the “angel” a fresh change of clothes and new Muslim headscarf to wear every day, and pictures showed it sitting up in a chair and accompanying locals on a boat trip.
Police decided to investigate after becoming concerned the increasing excitement about the “angel” could lead to unrest.
“We were hearing many stories, such as that the ‘fallen angel’ was crying when she was discovered,” Pramukarno said.
