CAIRO: Riyadh General Court sentenced an Arab expatriate to six years in jail coupled with 600 lashes for sorcery and fraud, the Riyadh police announced yesterday. The criminal, who is in his mid-40s, confessed to have swindled SR550,000 from a Saudi woman by promising her a magical cure. According to police, the man promised the plaintiff he would help her hair grow by treating her with herbal therapy. Initially, the man had allegedly taken SR20,000 and asked the woman to pay the balance in installments. On the payment of the first installment, the man had given the victim some herbs wrapped in a piece of white cloth and had told her to store it carefully to help her hair growth. According to the complaint, the criminal's magical treatment had not stopped her hair falling out. When police arrested him, the man had in his possession a ring, a black gemstone which he claimed had magical power and a hand-written paper that had a list of magic ingredients. The police warned the public of such criminals who try to con them out of their money in this way. They also advised the people to notify security authorities as soon as they suspect strangers who walk into their daily life with claims to magically improve their lives. Sorcery is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, and the preferred method of execution in the kingdom is beheading by sword, followed by crucifixion. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/x3mhf Tags: Jail Sentence, Lashes, Saudi Arabia, Sorcery Section: Human Rights, International, Latest News, Saudi Arabia
