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Hoax for adultery proves costly

Fakir Hassen in Durban

An abduction hoax perpetrated by a South African Indian spiritual healer and businessman has cost him dearly.

Zaid Gora led police and his distraught family, including his wife, on a wild goose chase earlier this year after a friend reported having seen Gora being abducted by armed gunmen.

While the police conducted an intensive, weeklong search and family members prayed for his safety, Gora was enjoying a tryst with his mistress in East London, more than 900km away.

He then resurfaced, claiming to have been abducted and released by his alleged tormentors, but when his car was discovered parked in a friend's garage, the game was up.

Gora, who confessed to the misdeed, had to pay a heavy price. The magistrate, Shaun Marks, warned that hoax hijackings and abductions would not be tolerated and sentenced Gora to a fine of Rand 30,000 or 18 months in prison.

Gora said he had arranged with some men to pretend to beat him up and drive away with him to create the impression of having been hijacked.

Magistrate Marks said the police had wasted a lot of time on the case when they could have spent it usefully on numerous other genuine cases. Gora paid Rand 5,000 immediately and will pay a further Rand 1,000 monthly for the next 25 months.

Indo-Asian News Service

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