‘R500k swindler’ nabbed after scamming businessman

A man accused of defrauding a businessman of more than R500 000 is expected to appear in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Philendran Raman, who was arrested in Durban a few days ago, made his first court appearance on Wednesday, and was remanded in custody, pending his next appearance on Monday.

Suspected scammers arrested

He was arrested with his co-accused, his sister Kerusha Salig, and another woman known as Kumeshni Naidoo. The women were granted R3 000 bail each with the condition they report to their nearest police stations once a week.

In 2012, Raman was held in Durban for reportedly selling hired cars to people and disappeared with their money.

Businessman scammed by ‘car salesperson’

It is alleged in 2023, Raman introduced himself as a car salesperson to businessman Sipho Mhlanga, who is in the logistics and trucking sector.

“My friend wanted a car, and he paid R500 000, but the deal did not go well,” said Mhlanga. “He paid back R380 000 and promised to settle the balance. He kept on calling me and my friend, and he eventually won our trust.

“Little did I know it was the beginning of trouble in my life.

“He told me he knew people from Absa Bank who can assist my business partner and me in getting a loan of R50 million.

“We agreed, and he promised to facilitate that since he was an agent assisting big banks to secure clients,” said Mhlanga.

“He introduced me to Naidoo as a high-ranking Absa employee and we started communication.

“After some weeks, I was told the loan was approved and we needed to pay some fees upfront for the money to be paid.

More than R500 000 handed over

“I paid him bit by bit until the money exceeded the required fee of R250 000,” added Mhlanga.

“They kept on demanding, claiming it was part of the process. I think the money I paid to them is more than R500 000.

“The money was paid to a certain account and we later found out it was Salig’s account, while some cash was deposited into Naidoo’s account,” he said.

After paying the money, which was settled in November last year, the three told him since it was already a few weeks to the festive season, the process would start again in January.

Mhlanga said while he was still waiting for the loan money, one of the women called to tell him a client who was buying a car got Raman arrested because of some misunderstanding.

“I went there to bail him out because I wanted them to finalise my deal.

“When I was in court, a certain Indian lady approached and asked to see me. I agreed.

“After the hearing, she told me Raman had made her sell her watch and a wedding ring that were worth millions of rands, after promising them a loan from the bank.

“When I confronted him, he started threatening me, saying he would send people to come and kill me. I opened the case in July, and they were arrested this week,” added Mhlanga.

“I am appealing to anyone who has been scammed by these people to come forward so we can have a strong case against them.”

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko has confirmed the fraud case was being investigated by Benoni police.

“Three suspects were arrested and appeared in court and the two female suspects are out on bail, while the male suspect was remanded in custody and will appear in court on Monday.”

A source from the police station said there were many businesspeople who were reportedly scammed by Raman.

“Most are scared because before his arrest he threatened them.”