It was the biggest gold mine fraud of all time – a scam that devastated countless lives. But what really happened? Suzanne Wilton revisits the story that she just couldn’t let go of, to find answers about how the scam was perpetrated…and about the mysterious death of a geologist in the jungle. From the BBC World Service and CBC.

The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.

World of Secrets teams are working on new investigations. Now you’ve finished listening to The Bad Guru, we are preparing six more seasons. Also, we have updates on previous investigations, including The Abercrombie Guys and Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods.

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World of Secrets is the global investigations podcast from the BBC: Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling.

Miranda returns to Paris after some surprising news about the guru Gregorian Bivolaru.

This episode contains sexual content, allegations of sexual exploitation and some strong language.

Host: Cat McShane

“I was admitting it was a sex cult,” says Miranda. She meets up with her mother Penny to tell her what she's really been up to. When she tells her story to students from the yoga school where her journey started, the guru Gregorian denounces her as a liar.

This episode contains sexual content.

Host: Cat McShane

The guru Gregorian Bivolaru comes to the door in a dressing gown and welcomes Miranda in. He is her spiritual master, but she feels physically repulsed by him. “Don’t be superficial,” she tells herself as she steps into his Paris apartment.

This episode contains explicit sexual content and some strong language.

Host: Cat McShane

“I don't have my passport. I don't have my phone. I don't have my bank card… I have nothing.” Miranda is driven through Paris with her eyes covered to meet the guru Gregorian Bivolaru at a secret location. Why is her spiritual guide in hiding?

This episode contains sexual content.

Miranda joins thousands of the guru Gregorian Bivolaru’s followers from around the world at a yoga festival in a Romanian seaside resort. It’s a two-week-long holiday and her food and accommodation is free. But is she being drawn into something darker?

This episode contains explicit sexual content.

Miranda joins a yoga school in London. The classes make her feel amazing and the people make her feel loved. But at a weekend retreat in a country house, she gets a shock.

This series contains explicit sexual content, some strong language and allegations of sexual exploitation. This episode contains explicit sexual content.

Miranda’s search for inner peace through yoga leads to allegations of grooming, trafficking and exploitation.

“You just get sucked in so gradually... that you don't realize,” says her mother Penny.

This series contains explicit sexual content, some strong language and allegations of sexual exploitation.

Our investigation moves to a hotel car park in Norwich, England. What more new leads will this bring? We find the man himself, but what does Fox have to say about the tonne of cocaine found on his yacht? How does he respond to the claims from Brazilian police?