Gulf Daily News

Bahrain, July 13: AN African "sorcerer" was jailed for a year in Bahrain yesterday for an elaborate scam to dupe people out of their money.

The 50-year-old defendant, from Chad, was ordered by the Lower Criminal Court to be permanently deported from Bahrain after he has served his sentence.

He colluded with others to dupe people into thinking that he could use magic to fill an empty box with money, the court heard. But he was arrested in a sting operation by police, who raided the flat where victims were to be lured.

The defendant told police he was only trying to make money to get back home, after being stranded in Bahrain.

He said he arrived from the UAE on a seven-day visit visa to meet a Sudanese relative.

"After three days I wanted to return back to my country, but I did not have enough money with me to buy a return ticket," said the defendant.

"I asked my relative to lend me some money so I could buy a ticket and go back to Chad, but my relative gave me only BD30. "I was stuck here because I had no money." He said the relative suggested the sorcery scam and introduced him to a Mr J, who would bring clients to him.

The idea was to buy an empty box and trick people into thinking it could double their money by magic, said the defendant.

He said Mr J also introduced him to a Saudi man living in Bahrain, who would provide red mercury as part of the trick. "Mr J then suggested that we rent a fully furnished apartment and we agreed to meet the other man the next day at 11pm," said the defendant.

He said the Saudi man arrived with two bottles of red mercury and a Bahraini woman whom it was also said would bring clients.

"Mr J, who was with me in the flat, suggested that we need incense to make a perfect atmosphere in the room while carrying out the act of sorcery for the customers," said the defendant.

"Mr J said we would buy the incense from the market and then said he had to make a phone call and went outside. "Soon the police raided the apartment and arrested me and seized all the items that were supposed to be used for sorcery."