KNYSNA NEWS - A Knysna businessman known to resi-dents as Chris Boshoff has allegedly been found to in fact be a man named Robbie Smith who, along with his wife, faked his death while living in Benoni in 1999. The couple has been arrested.
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha, the crime was committed in 1999 while the couple resided in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, on the East Rand.
"He reportedly 'died' from a motor vehicle accident in Vosloorus. Consequently an insurance claim was registered at Old Mutual insurance leading to a payout of just over R1,7m," Ramovha confirmed.
After receiving the payout the couple quietly left Gauteng to live in KwaZulu-Natal, after which they eventually settled in Knysna where they have owned and operated a few businesses over the years. Smith and his wife adopted the aliases of Chris Boshoff and Alice Abigail Boshoff.
Over the years their businesses have included a video and DVD rental store as well as a motor vehicle repair shop called Knysna Auto Repair in Union Street. The latter is their latest business venture and the one they owned at the time of their arrest.
Two years ago, things started to change for the couple. "Around 2020, Old Mutual was tipped off about the possibility that they were scammed as Smith was apparently very much alive," Ramovha said.
"Following an internal probe a docket of fraud was registered in October 2020, and assigned to the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime for investigation. The team traced the couple to a hideout in Knysna, leading to their arrest on Tuesday 8 November on a court order."
Read more on sister publication, Knysna-Plett Herald
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