‘Buyers’ hit in housing scam
Five suspects in court facing fraud and theft charges for selling same houses many times
MORE than a dozen desperate buyers thought they hit the jackpot with a cheap home, but it emerged they had fallen for a property scam and lost more than R160 000 each.
In three separate matters before the Durban Commercial Crimes Court, five suspects, including Clare Estate attorney Ajay Deba, have been accused of fraud and theft for their alleged involvement in the illegal sale of numerous properties in Phoenix.
The scams, which began in 2014, include falsely advertising houses for sale without the knowledge of the owner.
Narisha Ramsunder is accused of colluding with Christine Boalch and Stephanie Pillay and scamming people who wanted to buy property in Westham, Phoenix last year.
The trio allegedly disappeared and changed telephone numbers after the victims paid the money into a bank account registered in an allegedly non-existent law firm called Sheik and Associates.
One victim was a Pietermaritzburg man Bheki Shelembe, who works in Durban.
He was among three people who paid R160 000 for a home in Phoenix, which is registered in the name Jayseelan Govender, who is based in Gauteng.
It is believed Govender’s details, including his ID number, were used on the sale documents, without his consent.
When the Sunday Tribune visited the house this week, the neighbours said there were frequent visits by people who looked like prospective buyers.
And others who were allegedly scammed were also seen arguing outside the gate last year after realising that Ramsunder and her co-accused allegedly disappeared with their money.
One of the victims occupied the house earlier this year but moved out after a few weeks.
Ramsunder and her co-accused are out on bail and their matter was scheduled for trial in March.
Ramsunder is the sole accused in the second matter and it is alleged she had access to four Phoenix houses, where she had secured tenancy. She masqueraded as the owner when victims visited the properties she tried to sell.
She offered to sell the three-bedroom homes for between R160 000 and R190 000.
In a matter implicating Deba and Kathija Shahabally, the pair were accused of stealing more than R2.7 million from 15 people. At least three houses were simultaneously sold to multiple buyers. All the payments were deposited to the bank account registered to Deba’s legal firm.
Phoenix-based attorney Rajesh Harillal confirmed that in 2015 he recovered more than R2m for his clients from Deba’s firm after they each paid at least R200 000 for houses which were not transferred to their names for various reasons.
Harillal’s clients, including Higeshen Latchimanah and Fathima Sheik, told the court that Deba started evading their calls after their money was transferred into his account.
They later discovered the properties they had bought were being sold to other people even after payments were made.