Woo May Hoe, a 54 year old woman, was sentenced to 10 and a half years’ jail for cheating her followers. She pretended to be an Indian goddess who could heal them and communicate with other gods. She abused her followers, such as making them jump down from a building, forcing them to eat shit, and hitting them until they were injured for life. She cheated them of at least $7 million.
Her Alleged Involvements
News of her crimes were widely talked about. But what the mainstream media did not report on was whether Woo was involved in grassroots activities. A few years ago, when her misdeeds were first made known, netizens found Facebook photos of her (shown below in a superman t-shirt) and an Indian guru. The post read:
“Swami Sunildas (name of Indian guru) visiting the houses of Chinese divotees in Singapore, among whom include; WOO MAY HOE Peoples Association, Residents Committee. Vice Chairman Teck Ghee zone ‘D’ RC, SCEC Vice Chairman Tech Ghee CC Dragon & Lion Dance Troupe Committee. Member Tech Ghee CSC Vice Chairman Ang Mo Kio 333 Tua Pek Kong Committee Chairman Ang Mo Kio 333 senior citizens’ lunar Seventh Month Committee”.
This information resurfaced a few days ago when her sentence was passed. Up till now, there is nothing to confirm to deny her grassroots involvement. Even if there was, they may have been removed a few years ago when the news was first out. We can only speculate.
Life of a ‘Goddess’
Woo lived in a four-storey house in Jalan Waringin, near Kembangan. She and her followers would chant late at night, sometimes until morning. Her neighbours noticed that her followers would wait outside everyday for her to come home and bow when they see her car. They said she was like a rich conglomerate in Korean dramas.
One of the residents found it odd that they described themselves as reincarnation of fruits and had names like “apple”, “pear” and “mango”. Although people found them strange, there was minimal interaction and not enough warning signs to make them want to alert the Police.
Woo was said to have pulled out a follower’s teeth, hit her until she lost her vision, made everyone serve her day and night, and threatened them if they wanted to leave. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia but was found to be fully aware of the illegality of her acts. Could the abuse be prevented or cut short if the neighbours had cared more? In this day and age, why are people still believing in cults? What exactly did they see that was “goddess-like” in Woo May Hoe?
