Two individuals were arrested by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) on Tuesday, November 18th, on suspicion of committing qualified fraud linked to alleged practices of “witchcraft and spiritualism” conducted in the Santa Maria da Feira, São João da Madeira, and Aveiro regions.
The PJ stated in a release that “the arrests followed a police operation that involved conducting home searches and other evidence-gathering activities,” resulting in “evidence showing that the two suspects have been engaging in this activity as a means of livelihood,” causing “losses to victims who sought their services.”
The “witchcraft, spiritualism, or healer services” were reportedly advertised through “leaflets distributed on parked vehicles.”
The PJ’s investigation further revealed that “through deception and promises to solve all problems, [the suspects] led the victims, often elderly and vulnerable, to hand over all their money for treatment.” They also claimed the money would be returned, “which did not happen.”
“After receiving the money, the suspects stopped answering their phones and moved to different areas, pretending to travel to Africa, leaving the victims deprived of the amounts they had given, sometimes very high sums,” the statement added.
The detainees will appear before judicial authorities for the application of coercive measures.
