‘Female ‘shaman’ conned victims out of £8million by convincing them their jewelry was cursed and wanted to be ‘cleansed’ in a ritual’

A self-styled female shaman allegedly conned gullible victims out of £8million by convincing them their jewellery was cursed and needed to be cleansed in a ritual. 

The woman at the centre of the sprawling scam, 44-year-old Mariana Mijailovic, has vanished without a trace even as police continue digging through a treasure trove found beneath her home outside Vienna.

Mijailovic – now officially listed among Europe’s most wanted fugitives – allegedly built her fortune by persuading affluent women on the streets of Munich and Vienna that their jewellery was ‘cursed’.

Prosecutors say she and her 30-year-old daughter-in-law, Anna, preyed on fear, staging elaborate warnings of disaster that would befall their families unless the precious items were subjected to shamanic cleansing rituals.

The pitch proved effective. In one case, a victim surrendered £502,000 after being told by Mijailovic that she was possessed.

Another woman, desperate for a miracle cure for her cancer, handed over £49,000, but investigators noted that she later died.

At least 19 victims are believed to have been targeted over a decade, with losses estimated at £8.3million.

The pair allegedly disappeared the moment their victims relinquished their valuables – before swiftly moving on to their next target.

Mariana Mijailovic has vanished without a trace even as police continue digging through a treasure trove found beneath her home outside Vienna

But when officers finally raided the family’s estate in Maria Enzersdorf in February, they discovered that the money had not gone far.

Police stumbled across a hidden chamber beneath a concrete-topped swimming pool which could only be accessed through a trapdoor.

The room was stacked with 25kg of gold bars, jewellery, watches, and wads of US and Swiss cash.

Investigators also seized 14 luxury cars worth £280,000 – including an Aston Martin, two Jaguars, and three BMWs – bringing the tally of recovered assets to roughly £7.3million.

Another £873,000 was frozen in bank accounts. 

Inside the home were Mijailovic’s 29-year-old son and her 48-year-old ex-husband, both of whom insisted they were humble self-employed real estate agents.

Officers arrested the men along with Anna – identified in court as Dona D, and already carrying three previous fraud convictions.

All three were charged in Vienna with aggravated commercial fraud, criminal organisation, and money laundering.

Mijailovic herself, however, was nowhere to be found. Police have now issued a £4,300 reward for information that leads to her arrest.

Europol added her profile on Wednesday to its most-wanted list, describing her as a woman of Serbo-Croatian descent, 5ft 4, with dyed hair, brown eyes and ‘very full lips.’

Mijailovic – now officially listed among Europe’s most wanted fugitives – allegedly built her fortune by persuading affluent women on the streets of Munich and Vienna that their jewellery was ‘cursed’

In court the same day, Anna was sentenced to four years without parole after admitting involvement in the conspiracy. The two men received three-year sentences.

‘Through skilful manipulation, the perpetrators quickly established a relationship of trust with their victims,’ a spokesman for the central public prosecutors’ office said, adding that the trio had created ‘a luxurious lifestyle’ from the proceeds. 

But in a twist that stunned observers, the court ruled the family will only have to repay £1.5million. 

Prosecutors, it said, could not prove that the rest of the assets were directly linked to the fraud.

Defence lawyer Alexander Prenner insisted the family wealth had legitimate origins. 

‘There is ample evidence that this family is wealthy,’ he said, claiming the money came from inheritance, gifts, and the men’s real estate ventures. 

He added that the defendants had lived ‘very frugally.’