An uMhlanga “couple” – in custody on charges of allegedly defrauding business-linked victims who have claimed to police that they had parted with large amounts of cash in return for government grants and funding and other legal and professional services – will make a second court appearance in a bid to secure bail in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 31 July.
Malcolm Mahabeer, a non-practicing attorney, and Prabashnie Naicker, believed to be in the accounting business, both residents of uMhlanga Manors, will be represented by their attorney, Tasha Giyapersadh, who will make a set of fresh bail applications before the magistrate.
Prabashnie Naicker is believed to have paired up with Malcolm Mahabeer in allegedly defrauding business victims across Durban
The radius of the locations of the victims range from uMhlanga, Durban North, Greenwood Park, Phoenix, Chatsworth, Verulam and Tongaat. It has been reliably learnt that the state prosecution was likely to oppose the bail applications on the grounds that the two suspects were facing multiple charges of fraud involving their facilitation and preparation of documents for government grants and funding for business projects.
At the midweek hearing, the court will focus on bail by Mahabeer and Naicker.
The pair, believed to have posed as a “husband and wife” couple, was apparently overseas in the Middle East when Durban North SAPS issued instructions for their arrest in the previous week.
In an SMS message to victims and complainants, Durban North SAPS texted: “Suspect was arrested and charged and the first appearance in court will be on 22 July.”
The investigating officer, Detective Victor Mhlongwa, confirmed that police entered the residence of Mahabeer and Naicker a fortnight ago and were informed by a Naicker family member that the “couple” was out of South Africa.
Sources said that SAPS members planned to arrest Mahabeer and Naicker at the King Shaka International Airport on Friday, 19 July. The pair negotiated via an attorney to report to the Durban North police precinct on Monday, 22 July. The suspects were then arrested and taken to court for their first formal bail applications.
The suspects were denied bail and were ordered to be transported to the Westville Prison, where they have been held in custody in the awaiting trial. The arrests follow a year-long investigation into the alleged activities of the “couple”.
Sources close to the investigation said it is believed that Mahabeer and Naicker carried out an elaborate scheme to identify wealthy business people and befriend them by offering unsuspecting victims professional facilitation and preparation for government grants and funding for new business opportunities. This relationship would then take on a social dimension and escalate with regular house visits when these offers of services would be made to would-be or prospective businesses interested in receiving state funding. The victims claimed that they would be asked to part with upfront monies ranging from hundreds of thousands of rands to up millions of rands.
After long delays in the so-called transacting of the alleged state funding deals, the victims grew suspicious about the alleged modus operandi and laid fraud charges at the SAPS, with many claiming that they were “scammed”.
Details of the case and charges were forwarded to Natasha Kara-Ramkisson, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal, for comment.
• Anyone who had dealings with the suspects are urged to contact Detective Victor Mhlongwa at the Durban North Police Station.
