Woman got 'devotees' to eat faeces and give her millions by posing as deity

Jessie Lim
The Straits Times
Oct 11, 2022

A woman played the role of a deity so convincingly she allegedly got one of her devotees to donate $3.5 million, a few others to forcibly extract a woman's tooth and some others to consume human faeces.

Woo May Hoe, 52, is said to have also conspired with her followers to falsely declare their income in order to secure more than $5 million in loans to purchase properties.

Woo faces a total of 50 charges for offences ranging from cheating to voluntarily causing grievous hurt and causing hurt by means of a harmful substance.

Court papers revealed that the offences were committed against at least 14 victims who were said to be her devotees, over a nine-year period from 2012 to May 2020.

Woo allegedly hurt one of her followers repeatedly between 2019 and 2020.

A woman in her 40s, Ms Ong, was allegedly stabbed in the arm with a pair of scissors, hit with canes and forced to jump from the second floor of a building.

As a result of the fall, she broke both her ankles.

Woo is said to have also poured essential oil into Ms Ong's left eye and twisted her left ear until it bled.

She allegedly even convinced her followers to harm Ms Ong. On one occasion, some of them took a pair of pliers to forcibly remove Ms Ong's tooth.

Four other devotees were made to swallow human faeces as punishment.

Her followers also donated money for purported initiatives in India, with one follower forking out $3.5 million between 2013 and 2015, believing she would help expand a school there.

During the same period, Woo is said to have cheated another follower of $2.5 million by claiming the funds would be used to build a temple in India.

Court documents also showed Woo had convinced multiple devotees to donate more than $800,000, claiming she would use the funds to purchase cows.

She told some of her followers that doing so would redeem their sins and ensure they remained in good health.

Between 2015 and 2020, Woo is said to have also conspired with her devotees to obtain bank loans, which she used to buy various properties.

The value of these loans ranged between $185,000 and $4.6 million.

She allegedly told them to claim they were earning up to $45,500 per month so that the banks would disburse the loans.

Woo also convinced her followers to help settle purported loans from unlicensed moneylenders and loan sharks.

In February 2016, Woo allegedly claimed she had taken a $500,000 loan from an unlicensed moneylender as down payment to buy a property in Jalan Waringin.

She then convinced one follower to pay for part of the interest for the loan.

Between January and May 2020, Woo is said to have cheated another victim of $12,000 by claiming she had borrowed money from Malaysian loan sharks to pay for a property in Bedok.

Woo, who has remained in remand since 2020, is expected to be back in court on Nov 17.

If convicted of cheating, she can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both.

Those who voluntarily cause grievous hurt can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.