Couple steals R12m from KZN Blind and Deaf Society—arrested in Estcourt

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After four years of running from law enforcement, a couple now faces legal action for defrauding the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society out of millions of Rands. This is a crime so selfish and evil, even most criminals would shake their heads at the thought of it. 

Nevertheless, Ruvanya Ramiah and Ayush Rambally were arrested in Estcourt on Thursday, 14 April 2022.

KZN Regional Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Natasha Kara said that the duo appeared in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday, 19 April 2022, facing fraud charges, theft and money laundering to the value of approximately R12 million.

“It is alleged that they stole this money from the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society from March 2012 to December 2018, while Ramiah was employed there,” Kara explained.

While the matter returns to court on 28 April 2022 for a bail application, the KZN Deaf and Blind Society President, Veetha Sewkuran, expressed profound gratitude to Colonel Sibiya of the Special Crimes Investigating Unit for ensuring that the wheels of justice had been set in motion.

Confident that justice would prevail, Sewkuran elaborated further on how the couple managed to defraud the society.

Ramiah worked as the finance officer and her husband, Rambally, accepted financial pay-outs into his bank accounts.

Additionally, the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society claimed that Ramiah had acted wrongfully and unlawfully. Whereby she is alleged to have intentionally misappropriated funds from the banking accounts and intentionally defrauded certain monies from the society. She then intentionally caused monies to be transferred from the society’s bank accounts to bank accounts within her control or to a bank account held by Rambally.

Putting an exact figure on the duo’s crime spree, the KZN Blind and Deaf Society claims that Ramiah and Ramabally managed to steal R 12 785 634.26 of the society’s funds.

As the crime couple now faces legal action and a potentially lengthy stay in prison, what are your thoughts? 

Share your views in the comment section below.

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