Police in Austria are actively searching for a suspect, identified only as "Mariana M," who is believed to have posed as a shaman to scam numerous individuals out of large amounts of money. Authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for the 44-year-old Austrian citizen, whose alias is Amela, after discovering cash, jewelry, and gold valued at over €10 million (£8.3 million) at her residence in Mödling, near Vienna.
The investigation has led to the arrest of her 29-year-old son, who is currently in custody in Wiener Neustadt. Authorities suspect that Mariana has swindled victims not just in Austria but also in neighboring Germany and Switzerland.
One of the victims reported that Mariana M claimed a "close relative had been cursed" and foretold the relative's impending death. To "lift" the curse, she demanded a staggering €730,000 for supposed cleansing rituals. After the victim made several payments, Mariana cut off communication altogether. Disturbingly, another woman later contacted the victim to claim that the "shaman" had suffered a serious coma as a result of the very rituals she promised to perform.
Franz Popp, Director of Police in Lower Austria, expressed concerns about exploitative practices by individuals posing as spiritual guides, stating, "In a world in which many people are looking for answers to the essential questions of life, profiteers have established themselves who claim to possess supernatural powers." Popp urged other potential victims to come forward and report their experiences to the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation.
