An Indian-origin South African attorney, Prelyn Mohanlall, 53, has been arrested for scamming 17 couples by taking payments for the same wedding venue on the same day. She was tracked down by a private security firm, Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA). Despite the severity of the fraud, Mohanlall may avoid jail time as her attorney and family have promised to reimburse the victims.

Mohanlall allegedly convinced and engaged couples to pay substantial sums upfront for a venue she had no connection with. On their wedding day, the couples would arrive to find the venue deserted, lacking basic amenities like water and electricity, leaving their special day in shambles.

One anonymous couple, devastated by the scam, hired RUSA to find Mohanlall in December last year. Through social media, RUSA uncovered 17 similar cases, spanning several provinces in South Africa.

RUSA head Prem Balram said that Mohanlall had been previously disqualified by the Law Society for fraudulent activities of taking money from a client's trust account. “She was convicted of fraud and has a criminal record with a history of scams dating back over two decades,” Balram said.

Authorities in the Gauteng province were already looking for Mohanlall for other two fraud cases that had arisen in 2024, with the car dealership scamming an individual of R200,000 and another defrauding a couple of Rs 26,000.

Mohanlall, however, dismissed the allegations, saying her business was in financial difficulties. She said, “It's not a scam, and I am not a scammer. My company went through so much. Late last year, I had nine cancellations, and I sent out letters to notify the couples about their refunds. But I couldn’t repay them on time because my partners pulled out in October.”

She admitted to owing nine couples around Rs 60,000 and said that she would pay all that money.

Many couples were devasted by this scam. One groom narrated how he and his fiancée had to endure embarrassment in cancelling their wedding and start saving again.  “Based on what she ‘stole’ from us, it drastically impacted our planning. What we hoped would be our dream day has now become an event where we have to settle for what we can afford,” he said.

Mohanlall’s attorney, Chris Gounden, has contacted RUSA, offering to arrange repayments for those who have proof of payments. This promise might help Mohanlall avoid jail time, though her victims continue to grapple with the emotional and financial fallout of her actions.