Mahatma Gandhi’s great-granddaughter faces fraud charges in South Africa

A 45-year-old great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi has been accused of defrauding two businessmen of more than $830,000 in South Africa.

Ashish Lata Ramgobin appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of theft, fraud and forgery.

Self-employed Ramgobin is alleged to have defrauded two local businessmen of more than 11 million rands ($831,380) by claiming that she had secured a tender to import bedding from India for the private hospital group Netcare.

According to Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of the elite fraud investigation unit known as the Hawks, Ramgobin allegedly provided forged invoices and documents to convince the investors that three containers of linen were being shipped in from India.