Sunday, June 7, 2026
ADVT 
International

New Zealand Identifies Nine Indian-Origin Witch Doctors

IANS, 29 Jul, 2015 12:09 PM
    The Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has identified nine Indian-origin "witch doctors" on the run after it came to light that they had duped vulnerable people, a media report said on Wednesday.
     
    Of the nine, five have already left the country, news channel 3News reported.
     
    "The individuals have been asked to respond to INZ's concerns before a decision is taken on what action to take," INZ assistant general manager Peter Devoy was quoted as saying.
     
    The "witch doctors" have targetted several people in the Indian community across the country, the channel said.
     
    An Auckland businessman recently filed a police complaint after a witch doctor duped him out of NZ$275,000 and left the country hours after receiving the cash.
     
    The black magic practitioners arrived from India on tourist or temporary work visas, revealed an undercover investigation by 3News recently.
     
    "INZ would strongly encourage people not to be taken in by anyone offering these types of services," Devoy said.
     
    The wall-to-wall advertisements promoting the so-called healers have been removed.
     
    In an earlier report, the news channel said that many of the fraudsters start with a $20 visit fee and guarantee 100 percent results, before going on to charge thousands to heal or bring back a lost lover.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Yoga Session Inspires European Parliament

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Yoga Session Inspires European Parliament
    The event titled "The Yoga Way" was organised by the Indian embassy in Brussels in cooperation with the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with India.

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Yoga Session Inspires European Parliament

    Indian-Descent Software Engineer Palani Kumanan Shares Pulitzer Prize For Investigative Reporting

    Indian-Descent Software Engineer Palani Kumanan Shares Pulitzer Prize For Investigative Reporting
    Palani Kumanan, who is a software architect and technical lead with Dow Jones that publishes the Journal, was a part of the winning project's graphics team, according to Michael Siconolfi, the newspaper's investigations editor.

    Indian-Descent Software Engineer Palani Kumanan Shares Pulitzer Prize For Investigative Reporting

    17 Indians Killed In Nepal As Bus Falls In River

    17 Indians Killed In Nepal As Bus Falls In River
    At least 17 Indian pilgrims were killed and more than 20 were injured on Wednesday when their bus veered off the highway and plunged into a river in Nepal, police said.

    17 Indians Killed In Nepal As Bus Falls In River

    Two Indians Among 2015 Yale World Fellows

    Two Indians Among 2015 Yale World Fellows
    Two Indians - SughaVazhvu Healthcare founder and CEO Zeena Johar and journalist-author Rahul Pandita - have been named 2015 Yale World Fellows by the prestigious Ivy League university.

    Two Indians Among 2015 Yale World Fellows

    US Sikhs Honour Attorney General Eric Holder

    US Sikhs Honour Attorney General Eric Holder
    The Sikh community here has honoured the US Attorney General Eric Holder with a siropa, a ceremonial robe of honour, and a Sewa Service Award for services to their community

    US Sikhs Honour Attorney General Eric Holder

    Twitter Can't Stop Laughing As Pakistan, China Launch 'RANDI' Think Tank

    Twitter Can't Stop Laughing As Pakistan, China Launch 'RANDI' Think Tank
    Dedicated to research on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $46 billion dollar plan linking China’s restive west to the Arabian Sea, the newly inaugurated Research and Development International (RANDI) organisation has been widely pilloried because its acronym sounds like “whore” in Urdu and Hindi

    Twitter Can't Stop Laughing As Pakistan, China Launch 'RANDI' Think Tank