A 57-year-old and a 44-year-old foreigner were arrested yesterday morning, March 22, in the center of Athens, as part of a coordinated operation by police officers of the Property Rights Protection Department of the Attica Security Directorate.

A case file was filed against them for extortion and fraud by complicity and by extension, from which the illegal financial benefit exceeds the monetary amount of 120,000 euros. Three additional foreign co-accused of the above, aged 42, 33 and 27, have been identified and are being sought.

The story of the case – How they acted

Regarding the timeline of the case, the 57-year-old before eight years acquired a professional relationship with 2 local women, 68 and 31 years old, working as a domestic helper, developing a friendly relationship with them along the way.

Since the summer of 2016, the 57-year-old, under the pretense of possessing supernatural abilities, has been deceiving her victims, extorting money, jewelry, valuables and electronic devices, as payment for her “spiritual services”. He told them that it would improve their lives and their socio-economic status.

In some cases when the sufferers questioned her or delayed payments, she terrorized them by telling them that if they did not pay, negative things would happen to them such as illnesses, personal and work failures, etc.

4 additional accomplices, including 3 relatives of the 57-year-old woman

Accomplices in deceiving the two women were the 44-year-old defendant and their -3- additional accomplices, all relatives of the 57-year-old defendant.

The sums of money were paid both to the accused herself and through bank transfers to the accounts of both the 57-year-old and her co-accused.

The extortions

Finally, after the victims realized the fraud against them and refused to give any more money, the 57-year-old together with the 44-year-old and the 33-year-old threatened them that if they did not give them the amount of -80,000- euros, they would physically harm them their integrity.

The illegal financial benefit they managed to extract from their victims exceeds -120,000- euros. They also seized gold, valuables and jewelery of undetermined value.

Those arrested were taken to the Criminal Prosecutor of Athens.