KWAZULU-NATAL – On Tuesday 2 February 2021, Hawks members from Durban Serious Commercial Crime arrested four suspects aged between 39 and 61 for fraud.
It is alleged that two of the suspects took out a life cover using an identity document of the victim. In September 2017, the two lodged a claim alleging that the insured person passed away. An insurance company forensic investigator smelt a rat and probed the claim. A case of fraud was reported at Durban North police station and the case docket was allocated to Hawks members for intensive investigation.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the person whose identity document was used is still alive, a wrong body was allegedly sent to the doctor through the arrested funeral parlour owner and the two suspects who were supposed beneficiaries of the insurance were not related to the insured person. It was further revealed that the fourth suspect allegedly provided the identity document to her accomplices. A potential loss of R110 000.00 was halted.
All suspects are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’ Court on Thursday, 4 February 2021.
