WESTERN CAPE – Michayla Kogie Mentoor (48), made her first appearance in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday 20th of April 2017 after she was arrested for fraud by the Serious Commercial Crime Unit of the Hawks’ ATM Task team on the same day.
Mentoor who has been on the run for over two years was nabbed from her hideout by the determined team in the early hours of Thursday at the upmarket suburb of Bishops Court near Cape Town. It is alleged that Mentoor masqueraded as a consultant from the Department of Trade and Industry and conned several small business owners in KZN of over R2-million.
She allegedly promised the unsuspecting victims that she would help fast-track their applications for funding to start or expand their entities, consequently she would then produce fraudulent approval letters purportedly from the DTI and collect a fee for her efforts.
Further investigations have established that she has an outstanding 2013 warrant of arrest from Randburg Magistrate’s Court for similar allegations with potential losses to the tune of over R60 million.
Mentoor remain in custody pending her next court appearance on Monday in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court where it is expected to be transferred the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Durban.