4 arrested in Durban for swindling deceaseds’ estates

DURBAN Central police have arrested four suspects who were allegedly part of an estate fraud syndicate.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said four suspects were held in connection with the Master of the High Court fraud in which deceased persons’ estates were swindled by fraudsters.

Netshiunda said the breakthrough came after intensive investigations by police detectives.

Zinhle Msomi, 42, Lorraine Ndlovu, 44, Zanele Hlengwa, 45, and Nkosinathi Moya, 62, were arrested in Durban. The suspects were remanded in custody when they made their first appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

“In July 2022, a woman went to the Master of the High Court to register a claim for her late son, but she was perplexed when she was told that her son’s R700 000 estate had already been successfully claimed by a person who masqueraded as the deceased’s biological father,” said Netshiunda.

The matter was reported to police and after months of investigations, police pounced on the suspects.

“The culprits would submit fictitious documents to the Master of the High Court and sought a letter of authority so they could fraudulently claim deceased persons’ estates,” he said. Police said the four will appear in court again on Friday.

In another fraud case, Netshiunda said detectives investigated a case of a woman who was allegedly defrauded of R120 000 by a lawyer in July 2021.

It was alleged that the woman was buying a property and she employed the services of a lawyer who convinced her to deposit the money into his trust account. “After receiving the money the lawyer vacated his office on Prince Street in Umgeni. Two years after the case was reported, the lawyer, Mzamaleni Ntuli, 34, was arrested on Friday, and was in court that same day.”