A 53-year-old Indian-origin South African, who was a disbarred attorney, has been apprehended for allegedly scamming 17 couples across the country by accepting payments for the same wedding venue on the same day. She was tracked down by a private security firm after victims reported the fraud.
The woman, identified as Prelyn Mohanlall by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), was arrested on Tuesday. However, her attorney, Chris Gounden, and family have proposed repaying all the victims, potentially allowing her to avoid jail time for the fraud. RUSA confirmed this in a statement on its Facebook page, adding that arrangements would be made to compensate those with proof of payments.
Mohanlall reportedly convinced couples planning their weddings to pay substantial amounts upfront for a venue she had no association with. On their wedding days, the couples arrived at the supposed venue only to find it abandoned, lacking water and electricity, which ruined their special events.
One couple, who wished to remain anonymous, hired RUSA in December last year to locate Mohanlall. Through social media, RUSA uncovered a total of 17 couples who were similarly deceived.
“Complainants were from various provinces in South Africa. A detective from SAPS Boksburg North (Gauteng province) informed us that the same suspect was wanted for two fraud cases opened in Gauteng in 2024. These included defrauding a car dealership of R200,000 and a couple of R26,000,” said Prem Balram, Head of RUSA.
Mohanlall, during interrogation, claimed she was a criminal attorney disbarred by the Law Society after stealing from a client’s Trust Fund account. Further investigation revealed a criminal record and a history of scams spanning over 20 years.
Speaking to The Post, Mohanlall denied running a scam and claimed her business faced financial difficulties. “It’s not a scam, and I am not a scammer. My company went through so much. Late last year, I had nine cancellations, and I sent letters to each of the couples to notify them of a full refund. But I could not repay them on time because my partners pulled out in October,” she said, adding that she owed nine couples a total of R60,000 and intended to repay them fully.
One victim shared the impact of the fraud, explaining how he and his fiancée had to endure the embarrassment of cancelling their wedding and saving for months to plan it again. “What she ‘stole’ from us drastically affected 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.
