Manoshin Raju, 36, was arrested on Friday and appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court today (Monday).
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A CONMAN who allegedly defrauded senior citizens of over R1 million by promising holidays that never happened has been arrested after two years on the run.
The arrest followed multiple fraud cases linked to the suspect, who allegedly exploited vulnerable pensioners.
Manoshin Raju, 36, was arrested on Friday and appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court today (Monday).
He was remanded into custody at Westville Prison until his formal bail application.
A police source told POST that Raju was wanted for several cases of fraud since last year.
“The suspect allegedly conned pensioners from the Belvedere Senior Citizens Club of their hard earned money. It has been confirmed that he is also wanted for fraud in other stations for cases opened in Umkomaas and Malvern.
“The fraud is in the excess of R1 million. The suspect's modus operandi was to pretend that he had booked holidays for senior citizens’ clubs and then disappear with the money. He was on the run for a long time,” said the source.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the man might be linked to many other cases in the province.
“Tongaat police have arrested a 36-year-old man for fraud following an incident that reportedly happened between February and June 2025 in Tongaat where senior citizens were allegedly defrauded of an undisclosed amount of money by the suspect after booking for accommodation,” Netshiunda added.
A member of the Belvedere Senior Citizens Club, who did not want to be named, said they planned a trip to Margate Sands and booked the trip with Raju, who was a travel agent.
She said when all the seniors had paid the money to the trip organiser from the club, the money was deposited into Raju's account in February 2024.
“After months of waiting for a date, the travel agent eventually told us that the trip to Margate Sands was booked from August 4 to 7, 2025. The trip organiser from the club had hired a bus and we left excitedly for Margate Sands. But when we arrived, we were told that the
Upon arrival at the destination the trip co- ordinators were told that there was no booking nor was any payment made for a senior citizens club.
“We sat for over four hours on the bus, not knowing what we were going to do. We tried calling the agent, but there was no response. The pensioners then decided to see how much we can each contribute for accommodation for one night, but it was not enough,” she added.
The pensioner said the trip organiser eventually contacted Jack Bissesar, chairperson of the Association of Senior Citizens of Tongaat (Ascot), for assistance and advice.
Bissesar told the POST that Ascot had loaned the Belvedere Senior Citizens Club R24 000 for the pensioners to be able to stay at the resort for the night, and that the club had paid the money back to them.
The woman said the loan had to be paid back, and the pensioners who went on the trip had to essentially pay double for the trip they never went on.
“Two years later, it is good to know that the travel agent was arrested. We were told that he was arrested in Malvern.