A couple was caught in Knysna this week after avoiding police for almost 25 years. They are accused of making up a death so they could file a false insurance claim.
Robbie Smith (67), who went by the alias Chris Boshoff, along with his wife Alice Abigail Boschoff (59), appeared in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court yesterday and are facing charges linked to faking the 67-year-old’s death in 1999.
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The couple, who resided in the Benoni area at the time, conspired and faked Robbie Smith’s death when he reportedly “died” in a motor vehicle accident in Vosloorus.
Consequently, an insurance claim was registered at Old Mutual, leading to a payout of just over R1.7 million.
Spokesperson for the Hawks, Captain Lloyd Ramovha, said yesterday that the couple quietly moved from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal after receiving the windfall.
“They eventually decided to settle in the Knysna area of the Western Cape, also known as the Garden Route, which is a tourist destination,” he said in a statement.
“Around 2020, Old Mutual was tipped off about the possibility that they were scammed as Smith was apparently very much alive.”
“Following an internal probe, a docket of fraud was then registered in October 2020 and assigned to the Hawks ‘Serious Commercial Crime’ for investigation.”
“The team tirelessly traced the couple to a hideout in Knysna, leading to their arrest on a court order on Tuesday.”
Ramovha said that upon searching the couple’s premises in Knysna, two unlicensed firearms were also recovered. “A case of unlawful possession of firearms has now been included,” he added.
“The couple are expected to be transferred to a Gauteng court to face the initial charge of fraud in the next week.”
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Pictures: Supplied and Cape{Town}Etc Library