Russian woman accused of poisoning her look-alike

Washington DC [United States], March 01 (ANI): A Russian woman has been charged with poisoning a look-alike with a tranquiliser-laced cheesecake and then stealing her passport, cash and other property">property.

The suspect Viktoria Nasyrova, who is a resident of New York city's Brooklyn, was arraigned on Tuesday on attempted murder, burglary, assault, and other charges after being arrested in March 2017, reported the Independent.

Nasyrova, who is next due in court on May 25, faces up to 25 years of imprisonment if convicted.

"This is a bizarre and twisted crime that could have resulted in the death of a Queens woman, whose only fault was that she shared similar features with the defendant," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

According to the report, two years ago in August 2016, Nasyrova, paid a visit to the Forest Hills, Queens, home of the 35-year-old victim and presented her cheesecake.

"The woman ate the cheesecake, fell ill and laid down. The following day, a friend found the victim unconscious in her bed, dressed in lingerie with pills scattered around her body as if the woman had attempted to kill herself," Brown said.

According to several media reports, the authorities said that the Homeland Security agents tested leftover pieces of the cheesecake and confirmed it was laced with phenazepam. The pills tested positive for phenazepam as well.

Nasyrova is also accused of killing another woman in Russia and reportedly preying on men in New York. (ANI)