Clerk felt old and worthless, so stole R9m

30 September 2012 - 02:13 By ROWAN SEWCHURRAN
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
CONVICTED: Deneshree Naidoo with her father, Moonsamy, centre, and her attorney outside court Picture: ROWAN SEWCHURRAN
CONVICTED: Deneshree Naidoo with her father, Moonsamy, centre, and her attorney outside court Picture: ROWAN SEWCHURRAN

Plastic surgery and a brand new sports car were on the shopping list of a convicted Phoenix fraudster who wanted to reinvent herself.

Deneshree "Megan" Naidoo, 31, defrauded Volvo SA of almost R9-million in 2008. She appeared in the Durban regional Court on Wednesday, where she will return next year for sentencing.

She told the court that she had resorted to plastic surgery and buying the car to reinvent herself as she was feeling "old and worthless".

Attorney Carl van der Merwe is acting for Naidoo.

Acting for the state, senior advocate Adelaide Watt will seek an appropriate sentence for Naidoo, who was accused of committing 20 counts of theft from Volvo Truck Industries in Amanzimtoti in 2008, where she worked as an accounts clerk, to an amount of R8974988.

She was released on R50000 bail. She will be sentenced in the Durban Regional Court next year.

Over three months, Naidoo, a University of KwaZulu-Natal Bachelor of Commerce graduate, made 20 transfers from suppliers to her own investment account.

Her basic salary was about R9000.

According to court papers Naidoo admitted to spending R410000 on an Audi TT and a further R120000 on cosmetic surgery. She spent about R710000 of the stolen funds. Court papers show that most of the R9-million had been recovered by Volvo.

Naidoo did not take delivery of the car and said she had only half the surgery done.

According to court documents, there was also evidence of gambling, bank cards and documentation regarding the purchase of a house found in Naidoo's Phoenix home.

She said she resigned because she was afraid that she may get caught - but not before stealing a further R1.8-million.

Naidoo's mother, Govindamma, described her daughter, in court papers, as "the perfect child", but claimed that her husband was an alcoholic who had abused the family.

Naidoo was head girl at Eastbury Secondary school, where her mother was the secretary.

"Megan was a perfect child. If I say perfect, she was so perfect in each and every way.

"My husband never liked Megan; he was extremely violent... she used to take my part and defend me... he gave her a very, very hard time.

"We used to be really scared to even put on the TV and we used to hide in the corner - I did my diploma and studied with just the bathroom light. Megan excelled in school and in her studies."

In court papers Deneshree Naidoo told of an incident when her father threw tea on her, resulting in burns to her body that required hospital treatment.

In an interview with a clinical psychologist, Naidoo said her father had tried to stab her mother once and a neighbour had to intervene.

Her father had apparently stopped drinking alcohol since his daughter was charged with theft.

Naidoo said that she had learnt a great deal while she was held at Westville Prison for three weeks awaiting trial.

"It was frightening because when you sleep at night you hear people screaming and you'd wake up the next morning and hear that people have passed away and, you know, that was all very frightening."

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now