A woman was arrested in Göçmenköy, S.T.G. for obtaining money through fraud and claiming that she could practise witchcraft, Yeniduzen reports.
The woman identified as S.T.G. was brought to court and released on bail pending trial. Police officer İpek Üzüm gave evidence in court stating that the complainant, a woman named D.G., reported to the police the previous day 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.
Judge Zehra Yalkut Bilgeç, considering the testimony, ordered that the suspect be prohibited from leaving the country until the trial, deposit a cash bail of 40,000 TL, have a reputable Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) citizen sign a bail bond worth 400,000 TL, sign a personal bail bond of 400,000 TL, and report to the nearest police station once a week.
