Asian arrested in South Africa for wedding scam

A 53-YEAR-OLD South African of Asian origin has been arrested for allegedly scamming 17 couples by taking money from them for the same wedding venue on the same day.

The disbarred attorney was tracked down by private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).

Despite her arrest, promises from her attorney and family to repay the victims could help her avoid serving jail time for fraud.

RUSA identified the woman as Prelyn Mohanlall after her attorney, Chris Gounden, contacted them, offering to arrange repayments for victims who could provide proof of payments.

According to RUSA, Mohanlall allegedly convinced couples to pay significant amounts in advance for a venue she had no affiliation with. When the couples arrived, they reportedly found the venue deserted, without water or electricity, ruining their wedding plans.

One of the victims, who wished to remain anonymous, approached RUSA in December last year to track down Mohanlall. Through social media, the company discovered 17 couples who had been scammed in this way.

“Complainants were from several provinces in South Africa. A detective from SAPS Boksburg North (in Gauteng province) informed us that the same suspect was wanted for two fraud cases in Gauteng in 2024. She had defrauded a car dealership of R200,000 and a couple for R26,000,” said Prem Balram, Head of RUSA.

RUSA revealed that Mohanlall claimed to be a former criminal attorney barred by the Law Society after misusing funds from a client’s trust account. “It was later established that the suspect has a criminal record and a history of scams spanning over 20 years,” Balram added.

Mohanlall denied running a scam, telling a local newspaper that her business faced financial difficulties. “It’s not a scam, and I am not a scammer. Late last year, I had nine cancellations and informed each couple they would get a refund. But I could not repay them on time because my partners pulled out in October,” she said.

She claimed to owe nine couples about R60,000 and insisted she planned to repay every cent.

A man who fell victim to the alleged scam shared the emotional and financial toll it took on him and his fiancée. “What she ‘stole’ from us drastically impacted our planning. What we hoped to be our dream day has now become an event where we have to settle for what we can afford,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)