TEN years after reporting their Ford Ranger stolen while fishing at Isipingo Beach, a Chatsworth couple has been found guilty of cooking up the theft to score a R500 000 insurance payout.

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The Durban Magistrate’s Court heard recently that husband and wife, Samad Naidoo, 40, and Shika, 37, had bought the vehicle seven months earlier and placed it under insurance.

After the bakkie was “stolen” on July 28, 2016, Warrant Officer Derick Naicker from the Chatsworth police station told the court that a few hours later, information was circulated that it was being stripped in Mobeni Heights. When the police got to the scene, only the shell of the vehicle with the engine remained.

“The owner of the vehicle arrived later and confirmed that the vehicle belonged to her. I am not clear as to how she came to know where her vehicle had been recovered,” said Naicker.

Working together with two police officers and a tow truck owner, the couple is said to have allegedly arranged for the car to be towed and stripped on July 28, 2016, following which they submitted a claim to their insurance company.

Also read: Vehicle theft syndicate busted in Amanzimtoti

The vehicle was written off by the insurer who tasked a salvage company to sell the shell. The insurer settled the claim for R567 961. The court heard that Shika bought the vehicle’s shell from the salvage company for R90 000 in August the following year, citing its sentimental value. State prosecutor Surekha Marimuthu said the Naidoos were arrested in December 2021 after they put the stripped parts back into the salvaged vehicle and were seen driving around in it.

The couple’s story started to unravel after discrepancies appeared in their statements, while more contradictions became apparent following the examination of their phone records.

The court found the Naidoos to have not been truthful in their testimonies and found them guilty. They will be back in court on September 16 for sentencing.

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