Fake marriage syndicate bust, three suspects arrested

An attempt to tear up documents to hide evidence made no dent in the case against three people arrested for allegedly facilitating fake marriages by South African women to foreign men, KwaZulu-Natal police say.

The clandestine "home affairs office" allegedly used to facilitate illegal marriages and spousal visas in a block of flats on Matthews Meyiwa Road in Greyville, Durban, was raided on Monday afternoon, said police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda.

He said: "The suspects would get hold of identity documents of South African women and marry them to strangers, specially undocumented foreign nationals, so the fake husbands would attain South African citizenship.

"Preliminary investigations have identified a home affairs official who has allegedly been working in cahoots with the suspects. More arrests cannot be ruled out as investigations unfold."

Several application forms, copies of identity documents and electronic devices were seized.

Of the three suspects, two men will be charged with fraud. Netshiunda said the woman will face a charge of defeating the ends of justice after she attempted to conceal evidence by tearing up some documents and throwing them in a bin.

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