Police in Vladivostok have arrested an 18-year-old local resident and implicated him in the wilful deception of a 16-year-old teenage girl reportedly seeking to sell her soul to the devil.
According to local police, the suspect described himself as a spiritual guide “between man and the devil,” and promised to conduct a special ceremony to allow the victim to sell her soul for a fee of 6,000 rubles (about $80).
The suspect and the victim reportedly knew one another, having studied at the same school, with the suspect known to have dabbled in magic, including fortune telling by cards, mindreading, and casting hexes.
Having gained the girl’s confidence, the suspect reportedly told her that those who cast their lot with the devil cannot wear gold jewelry, and told her to sell any gold jewelry she had to a pawnshop and give the money to him for the soul-selling ritual. Later, he persuaded her to give him her phone and laptop, and warned that he was criminally connected, ordering her to delete all correspondence with him. The pair continued their discussions through social media, and through personal meetings. The meetings stopped after the suspect said he had burned his things for safe measure.
The police were contacted by the victim’s mother, and after learning the details, detained the 18-year-old male suspect, who confessed to the crime. A criminal case has been opened against him, and the young man now faces up to five years in prison for ‘swindling’. Police are also looking into whether the suspect engaged in any other similar schemes with other victims.
According to religious scholar Elena Belousova, modern Satanist sects in Russia consist mainly of frustrated teens and young adults hungry for banal things like money and power who believe they can’t achieve their aims by ordinary means. The Orthodox Church and other religions have waged a propaganda war with the Satanists.
