Wedding venue scam: Indian-origin ex-attorney arrested in South Africa for scamming 17 couples

Indian-origin South African disbarred attorney has been arrested for scamming 17 couples by convincing them to plan their weddings to pay large sums in advance for a venue without having any link to the place.
53-year-old Prelyn Mohanlall, whose name was not initially named because she had not appeared in court yet but security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) on its Facebook page called out her name, whose attorney Chris Gounden contacted them with the offer to make arrangements to pay back all victims that were scammed and are in possession of proof of payments.

She was arrested on Tuesday after she was tracked down by a private security company. Mohanlall allegedly convinced couples to pay large sums in advance for a wedding venue she had no affiliation with. On their wedding days, the couples would arrive at the venue only to find it deserted, with no electricity or water, leaving their celebrations in ruins.
Prem Balram, head of RUSA, revealed that a couple who fell victim to the scam engaged their services in December 2023 to locate Mohanlall.
Through social media and investigations, RUSA discovered a total of 17 couples from various provinces had been scammed in similar fashion. Additionally, police in Boksburg North reported that Mohanlall was wanted for other fraud cases, including defrauding a car dealership of R 2,00,000 (Rs 9,07,730) and another couple of R 26,000 ( Rs 1,18,004).
Mohanlall’s criminal history reportedly spans more than two decades, including being disbarred as a criminal attorney by the Law Society for stealing from a client’s trust fund account. Despite her past convictions, Mohanlall has denied running a scam.
She claimed her business hit a rough patch, citing financial difficulties after her partners withdrew and wedding cancellations increased.
According to The Post, Mohanlall said, "It's not a scam, and I am not a scammer. My company went through so much”. She admitted owing nine couples approximately R 60,000 (Rs 2,72,319) but promised to repay the amount.
One of the victims shared how the ordeal caused significant distress. He and his fiancée had to cancel their wedding and start saving again to reschedule the event, turning their dream day into a scaled-down affair. "What she 'stole' from us drastically impacted our planning," he said.
While arrangements are being made to compensate the victims, Mohanlall’s court date and further legal proceedings are anticipated to determine whether her repayment efforts will influence her sentencing.