Over the span of eight years, a 53-year-old woman in Singapore who called herself a "deity" manipulated her followers into giving her S$13.6 million to clear their "bad karma".
Many depleted their life savings and took up extensive bank loans in obedience to Woo May Hoe's instructions, only for her to keep the money for her own use.
She also directed some to quit their jobs, move in with her and serve her as full-time helpers around the clock.
Those who displeased her would face violent and degrading "punishments" such as having their teeth pulled out with pliers, or being forced to consume faeces.
Woo's misdeeds were later reported to the police by her followers, leading to her arrest.
She was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years' jail on Wednesday (Jun. 19).
Called herself a 'deity'
The court heard that Woo was the spiritual leader of a group in Singapore, with about 30 followers who believed in Sri Sakthi Narayani Amma (“Amma”).
They frequently met for "spiritual sessions" which would last from evening to the next morning.
Woo told her followers she was a "deity" with the ability to communicate with gods and spirits, and ordered that they refer to her as lord".
Many of them were suffering from or had family members with serious medical conditions, and followed Woo's teachings in hope of getting healing.
Ordered them to donate to clear 'bad karma'
Woo would command her followers to declare the amounts in their respective bank accounts, and said they would be "punished by the gods" if they lied.
She would then approach them individually and demand that they pay specific sums to "Amma" to "clear their bad karma" which otherwise could jeopardise their or their family's health.
Woo said she would collate the money and transfer it to the "Amma" society in India, to purchase cows, build temples and schools.
But in actual fact, Woo kept the money for her own use.
To prevent followers from uncovering the truth, Woo would tell them that it would be offensive for them to request for receipts or proof of payment.
These payments, made between 2012 to 2020, ranged from thousands to millions of dollars.
Financially drained on her orders
Her followers were also ordered to buy houses, cars and condominiums as a form of "worship".
However, these properties and vehicles were for Woo's personal use instead.
They were ordered to deplete their bank accounts, terminate their insurance policies, sell their houses and take out massive loans to satisfy her demands.
Failure to do so would result in threats of death for her followers and their families.
"In total, from 2012 to 2020, the accused was found to have cheated a total of S$13,616,630.
This comprised $7,003,130 from her followers and $6,613,500 in respect of loans taken from financial institutions by her followers."
She has since made restitution of S$675,000.
Scammed of S$6 million for 'construction projects'
One such victim had recovered from a severe medical condition around early 2013 and believed "Amma" had healed her.
Woo tricked her into sponsoring a fictitious project to expand a school in India that they had visited on a trip, to express her gratitude to "Amma".
This came up to a sum of S$3.5 million, which the victim banked into Woo's account.
When Woo and the victim went back to the village in 2015, Woo even pointed out an unmarked construction site to further the deception.
The same victim was similarly deceived by Woo into donating another S$2.5 million, purportedly to build a temple in the same village.
It was only after Woo's offences came to light in 2020, that the victim checked with the secretary of "Amma's" society in India.
However, they had never received any such funds from Woo.
Made followers eat faeces, caned one on eye
Woo also required about a third of her followers to serve her on a full-time basis, while reporting all their daily activities, locations and communications to her.
Their duties included purchasing groceries for Woo, cooking her meals, driving her around, sending text messages for her and cleaning her house.
Thosewho displeased her by not performing a task to satisfaction or not heeding her advice would face violent and degrading "punishments", such as being stabbed with scissors or being forced to eat faeces.
These punishments would either be inflicted by Woo or by another follower under threat of being similarly punished.
Sometime in 2019, she punished a victim who was serving her full-time, by hitting her on the head and face repeatedly with a bundle of five canes in her home bedroom.
When the victim said her left eye hurt, Woo asked her to wash it with "Holy Water", drink it, and stare directly at the sun.
She did as she was told, and did not seek medical attention immediately as Woo had forbidden it.
She now requires lifelong follow-ups for possible glaucoma, or damage to the optic nerve.
Forced victim to jump off second floor
On a separate occasion in October 2019, Woo got angry at the same victim for borrowing S$100 from an acquaintance without telling her.
She ordered her to jump from the second floor to first floor of a block, threatening that another victim would push her off if she did not do so.
The victim ended up fracturing both her ankles from the fall.
And in 2020, Woo punished the victim for a separate offence by instructing another victim to pull her teeth out with pliers.
It was the fifth time she had been punished this way.
Throughout the years, whenever Woo's followers attempted to leave the group, she would repeatedly call and harass them, threatening their downfall or that of their family members.
Woo's offences went undetected until mid-2020, when a number of her followers lodged police reports against her.
She was arrested on Oct. 8, 2020.
Psychiatric condition did not contribute to cheating offences: IMH doctor
Woo was found to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of her offences, with symptoms like hallucinations, ideas of referenceand disturbed mood, according to Institute of Mental Health (IMH) reports.
Woo's doctor assessed there was a contributory link between her condition and her offences relating to causing hurt to others, as it "predisposed her to act irrationally".
However, he found that her mental state did not contribute to her cheating offences.
Those acts, the doctor observed, were “deliberate, rational and within her volitional control" and "[required] the workings of a mind which would have been sufficiently free from any significant psychological impediment in order to accomplish the intended ends”.
As such, he concluded that Woo was not of unsound mind at the time of her offences, and would have been aware that they were illegal.
Abused followers' faith to satiate greed, abuse them: Prosecution
Woo pleaded guilty to five charges including cheating and causing grievous hurt, with 45 more taken into consideration.
The prosecution asked for a deterrent sentence of 9 to 12 years' jail for Woo, saying that she had abused the faith of her followers to "satiate her greed" and "completely shattered the lives of her followers".
The prosecution said that Woo had "remorselessly" depleted her followers' life savings, while demanding they sell their houses, valuables, take up loans and terminate insurance policies for her.
"Coupled with the belief inculcated to never question the accused’s orders, with any requests for receipts or proof of payment strictly frowned upon, the accused easily monopolised and exploited her followers’ finances for years," the prosecution said.
Additionally, the prosecution asserted that Woo had "instituted a reign of terror" through various "violent and degrading" punishments, which were difficult to detect.
"To further conceal her abuse, the accused isolated her followers completely, preventing visits to their family members and friends and disallowing their seeking of immediate medical attention," the prosecution said.
Nevertheless, the prosecution acknowledged the role of Woo's psychiatric condition in contributing to some of the offences, and said they would not object to a reduction in her sentence.
Sentence would have been higher if not for her mental illness: Judge
Woo's defence lawyer sought 69 months' jail for her instead, saying that her client's mental condition had "interfered with her thinking, emotions and behaviour", CNA reported.
In response, the judge highlighted the harm Woo caused to her followers and the "stranglehold" she had over their finances.
She said the starting sentences for the causing hurt charges would have had "substantially higher uplifts" if not for Woo's mental illness.
Woo was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison.
Top image from Canva
