A 53-year-old Indian-origin South African attorney, who was disbarred, has been arrested for scamming 17 couples across the country by collecting payments for the same wedding venue on the same day. She was apprehended after being tracked down by a private security firm.
Despite her arrest, promises made by her lawyer and family to reimburse all the scam victims may allow her to avoid prison time for fraud. Though her name had not been released initially due to no court appearance, the security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) later identified her as Prelyn Mohanlall. Her attorney, Chris Gounden, contacted RUSA to propose arrangements for repaying victims who possess proof of payment.
Mohanlall allegedly deceived couples planning their weddings into making substantial advance payments for a venue to which she had no connection. Upon arriving at the supposed venue, couples found it abandoned, lacking water and electricity, devastating their special day.
One of the affected couples, who chose to remain anonymous, enlisted RUSA’s help in December of the previous year to track Mohanlall down. The investigation revealed a total of 17 couples had fallen victim to her scheme through social media.
According to Prem Balram, head of RUSA, “Complainants came from several provinces in South Africa. A detective from SAPS Boksburg North in Gauteng informed RUSA that the same suspect was wanted for two fraud cases in Gauteng in 2024. She had previously defrauded a car dealership of R200,000 and another couple of R26,000.” Following the investigation, it emerged that Mohanlall had been barred by the Law Society for misappropriating funds from a client’s trust account.
Balram further reported that Mohanlall has a criminal record with a history of scams spanning over two decades. In a statement to the weekly Post, she denied running a scam, claiming her business was simply experiencing difficulties, which hindered her ability to refund couples who canceled their weddings. She asserted that she owed nine couples around R60,000 and intended to repay every cent.
According to PTI, Mohanlall stated, “It’s not a scam, and I am not a scammer. My company faced tremendous challenges. Late last year, I had nine cancellations and notified each couple they would receive a full refund. However, I couldn’t repay them promptly because my partners withdrew in October.”
One victim recounted the embarrassment he and his fiancée felt when they had to cancel their wedding and start saving again to plan a new date for later this year. “Her actions significantly impacted our plans, and what was meant to be our dream day has turned into an event where we must settle for what we can afford,” said the man, who wished to remain anonymous.