Police in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have arrested a 38-year-old Sudanese man accused of defrauding a woman of $5,000 by claiming he could use supernatural powers to multiply money, a police spokesperson said on Friday.
Yagoub Mohammed Musa, from Nyala in Sudan’s South Darfur State, was arrested in Aweil on Thursday evening, said Col. Madut Ngong, the state police spokesperson.
Ngong told Radio Tamazuj that Musa allegedly received the money earlier this year from a South Sudanese woman identified as Ayak Dhieu, who had collected it from several people she knew.
Musa allegedly claimed he could increase the money through supernatural means. He later told the woman that additional work was required and that he needed to travel to Wau, the capital of neighbouring Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Ngong said.
A relative of the woman accompanied Musa on the trip, but Musa allegedly disappeared after they arrived in Wau. The relative returned to Aweil the following day, prompting the woman’s family to report the matter to police, Ngong said.
Police registered a case under Article 341 of South Sudan’s Penal Code and began investigating the allegations. Musa was arrested after returning to Aweil from Sudan, Ngong said.
“The money was not found,” he said, adding that police had received reports that Musa may have taken money from other people, although no further cases had been formally registered.
Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Police Commissioner Major General Gabriel Guet confirmed the arrest to this publication and said Musa would be taken to court after the investigation. He urged residents to be wary of people claiming to possess powers to multiply money.
Musa denied promising to turn ordinary paper into money, saying he was a traditional healer who had treated Dhieu for various illnesses, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
He acknowledged receiving $5,000 from the woman but said the money was intended to buy medicine. He said he travelled to Wau with the woman’s son and husband to obtain one of the remedies before returning to Aweil.
Musa said a further disagreement arose when he told Dhieu that another item, which he described as a perfume, was needed, but she said she had no money left.
He denied using charms to multiply money and said the dispute concerned an outstanding payment.
“I don’t make charms to increase money. I only treat diabetes and other diseases traditionally,” Musa said.
Police said investigators found pieces of paper cut into small sections and stored in a container at a place where Musa had been staying. They did not provide further details about the discovery.
Musa remains under investigation in Aweil.
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