3 'faith healers' arrested for swindling

Sunday, February 19, 2012

THREE persons were arrested in Zamboanga City after deceiving several people of millions of pesos worth of jewelry by posing as “faith healers.”

The suspects were identified as Analie Sali, 36, and her husband Yahiya, and Analie’s stepmother Erminda Saladain, 50.

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Sali and her husband were arrested Friday, while Saladain was arrested Saturday.

The three duped their victims of estimated P5 million to P10 million in several occasions using fancy rituals to heal sick members of the family.

One of their suspects is a prominent politician in the region.

The suspects would ask their victims for jewelry to be mixed with rice and wrapped in a green cloth during rituals.

This will be buried into the ground or thrown into the sea afterwards, Zamboanga City Police director Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo said.

The victims are warned not to dig out the cloth, citing death of family members and other circumstances may happen. But unknown to the victims, these pieces of jewelry have been surreptitiously taken by the suspects before the green cloth is buried into the ground or thrown into the sea.

The crime was uncovered when one of the victims' nieces dug out the cloth and discovered that the pieces of jewelry were missing, de Ocampo said.

He said the other victims also discovered the same after being informed of the modus.

During the investigation, following the filing of complaint against the suspects, it was discovered that some pieces of jewelry were already pawned in different pawnshops, de Ocampo said.