Woman arrested for practicing witchcraft and fraudulently obtaining money in north Cyprus

A woman who was arrested and detained for practicing fabricated witchcraft and fraudulently obtaining money has been released on bail.

The suspect, named only as STG, 43 was arrested on Thursday June 13 in Göçmenköy following a complaint.

She was taken to the Lefkosia district court on Friday on charges of fraudulently obtaining money and practicing fabricated witchcraft.

Police told the court that a woman named DG, came to the police on Thursday June 13 and reported that between September 2023 and January 2, 2024, she visited the suspect’s residence in Göçmenköy and paid 500 TL to have her fortune read using Katina [Tarot] cards. During the reading, the suspect allegedly told her, “You are under a spell, your mother is sick and will die, your fortune is blocked“, and promised to break the spell, thereby obtaining a total of 130,300 TL and 1,000 Euros from her.

Following the complainant’s statement, the police seized an Arabic-written amulet and a talisman from the suspect’s residence, which were purportedly given to keep evil away. The police officer also noted that the suspect has four pending cases for similar offences.

The police stated that the suspect had previously been brought before the Kyrenia  District Court on May 8, 2024, for similar charges and was released on bail. On May 11, 2024, the complainant, upon learning about these events, filed a complaint against the suspect. The police further mentioned that the suspect was arrested on June 13, 2024, and no illegal items were found during the search of his residence.

The suspect has a total of four pending cases: two for obtaining money through fraud and two for practising bogus witchcraft. The police requested that the suspect be released on appropriate bail conditions, as the investigation that the suspect could influence is complete.

Evaluating the testimony in court the judge released the suspect on bail on the condition that she is banned from going abroad until her trial, pay a cash guarantee of 40,000 TL, bring a reliable guarantor who is a TRNC citizen to sign a surety bond worth 400,000 TL, and to visit the nearest police station once a week.