SINGAPORE - Claiming to be a deity, a purported spiritual leader duped her followers into handing her more than $7 million and made them take loans totalling another $6.6 million from financial institutions.

Woo May Hoe also severely punished followers who displeased her, and forced some of them to eat human faeces.

The 53-year-old, who had about 30 followers and is now in remand, headed a group that believed in spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Narayani Amma.

She told her followers the monies would go to Amma’s society in India. Instead, Woo pocketed the funds from 2012 to 2020.

She was arrested in 2020 after some followers lodged police reports against her.

On May 8, the Singaporean pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and two cheating charges. Forty-five other charges will be considered during sentencing.

She has made restitution of $675,500.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua said that Woo punished followers who displeased her, adding: “(The punishments included hitting them) with various implements such as paint brushes and canes, stabbing them with scissors, using pliers to pull out their teeth, forcing them to consume human faeces and making them jump off from a height.”

The prosecution said that many of Woo’s followers were suffering from or had relatives suffering from serious medical conditions at the time. Desperate for healing, they fervently followed her teachings.

According to Woo, it was crucial for her followers to clear their “bad karma”, and increase their “good karma” to improve their health and that of their loved ones.

She told them that they could do so by making payments to Amma’s society in India.

She also told them that it was “offensive” for any of them to ask for receipts or proof of payment. Besides money, she also ordered them to buy houses, condominium units and cars as a form of “worship” – which she used for her own benefit.

Woo insisted that each payment and purchase had to be made in full. As a result, many of her followers depleted their savings.

Unfazed, she got them to give up their jewellery and valuables, which would then be pawned and sold to fund the payments and purchases.

The DPP said: “When those were depleted too, the accused demanded her followers sell their houses, take up extensive loans from banks and their friends and families, and terminate their insurance policies.

“The accused threatened the death of her followers and their families should these payments and purchases not be made.”

Woo also directed about a third of her followers to move in with her. They had to serve her full time, and care for all her needs, including doing housework.

The prosecutor said: “The accused either directed these followers to quit their jobs or mandated that they serve her around the clock such that they were forced to leave their jobs.

“She required these followers to report their daily activities, locations and all communications with others to her.”

One of them was a 43-year-old woman who was identified in court documents as V2.

In 2019, Woo, who became upset with her over an undisclosed matter, took a bundle of five canes and repeatedly struck V2’s head and face. One of the blows hit V2’s left eyeball, causing her to fall. Woo then told V2 to wash her affected eye with some “holy water” and stare directly at the sun.

The victim did as she was told and did not seek immediate medical attention as Woo forbade her from doing so.

V2 finally saw a doctor in 2020 after experiencing progressive blurring in her left eye. She now requires lifelong follow-ups for possible glaucoma, or damage to the optic nerve which connects the eye to the brain.

In October 2019, Woo became angry with V2 after finding out that the latter had borrowed $100 from an acquaintance without reporting the matter to her. She ordered V2 to jump down from the second floor of a building to the first floor. The victim did as she was told and suffered fractures to both her ankles.

Between March and April 2020, Woo found out that V2 had visited her own mother without informing Woo. Furious, Woo told another follower, identified as V3, to use a pair of pliers to pull out three of V2’s teeth. Out of fear of suffering the same fate, V3 pulled out V2’s upper left molar and a lower front tooth.

Separately, Woo ordered several other followers to eat human faeces.

On May 8, the DPP said Woo was found to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offences. An Institute of Mental Health doctor had found there was a contributory link between her condition and the offences where she had caused hurt to others or induced them to consume faeces.

But the doctor found no contributory link between Woo’s mental state and her cheating offences.

She is expected to be sentenced in June.