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Durban – A 34-year-old Durban mother of three who is charged with dozens of crimes, including drugging elderly people and stealing their valuables, has been denied bail.
Nancy Shanelle Naidoo is charged with 53 counts of fraud, robbery, theft and extortion. She allegedly took jewellery worth hundreds of thousands of rand from victims, many of whom she met at local casinos, and convinced them that she or her alleged alter ego, “a psychic friend”, could perform rituals to bless them and give them luck.
According to the charge sheet before Durban magistrate PM Govender on Tuesday, the alleged crimes were committed between 2008 and November last year.
In one case, it is alleged, she stole from her former school teacher. In another, it is alleged, she misrepresented to two elderly people that she was employed at Addington Hospital and could arrange for, and dispense, medication and visit patients at their homes to do physiotherapy and massage.
Because of this, they gave her their medical prescriptions and invited her to come to their home. While there, she gave them tablets and they fell into a deep sleep. When they woke, their home had been ransacked and jewellery valued at more than R100 000 was missing.
It is alleged she used this modus operandi in several other cases during 2010.
Then late that year, it is alleged, she adopted a new “con”, claiming that she could perform prayers to bring luck.
Her victims had to hand over money, jewellery and perfume for her to pray over, which she promised to return, but never did. She allegedly told one of her victims – whose 21-year-old daughter had been killed in a motor accident – that she had bad luck which needed to be cleansed to prevent her son and granddaughter from being killed in a similar way.
The woman handed over jewellery and cash totalling R820 000, which she never saw again.
Another alleged victim, who was promised “luck at the casino”, handed over jewellery and cash totalling R446 000.
Naidoo was arrested in November, but only applied for bail for the first time last week.
In his affidavit opposing bail, investigating officer Captain Louis Helberg said many complainants had identified Naidoo, although an identity parade had been cancelled after she changed her appearance dramatically through make-up and jewellery on the day it was to be held.
He said she had also been tied to many of the charges through an analysis done on three cellphones found in her possession.
He said he had discovered that from August 2011 to November 2012 Naidoo had lost R511 000 on slot machines. He argued that she was a risk to society because she drugged elderly people, “three of whom have ended up in hospital”.
But Naidoo, in her affidavit, denied committing any crimes and said she earned her living from running a take-away from home and selling Eastern wear.
In denying bail, the magistrate said from the facts before him that the only option was her continued detention.
She will appear in court again on Friday.
The Mercury
