UFA, November 6 (The Moscow News/RIA Novosti) – A self-described traditional healer in Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan treated his patients by whipping them and forbade them from seeking medical help, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The healer, from the town of Sibai, created a religious group called Orda and allegedly used a mix of ancient Islamic and shamanic methods to treat patients, the regional Prosecutor General’s Office said.
Authorities say the healer told his patients that they were suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses, despite using no diagnostic methods.
He forbade patients from seeing doctors or taking medicine and scared them into believing something bad would happen to their relatives if they did.
The healer is being investigated for creating a violent sect and could face up to four years in prison if found guilty.
