Mahatma Gandhi's Great Grand daughter Jailed in South Africa

A court of Durban in South Africa has sentenced one of the great-granddaughters of Mahatma Gandhi to seven years in jail. Ashish Lata Ramgobin was found guilty of a six-million-rand fraud and forgery. 

Ashish Lata Ramgobin, the daughter of noted rights activist Ela Gandhi and late Mewa Ramgobind, was accused of defrauding businessman SR Maharaj.

It is realized that Mr. SR Maharaj has given Ashish Lata Ramgobin an amount of Rs 3.33 crore (R6.2 million) for allegedly clearing import and customs duties for a non-existent consignment from India. 

It is believed that SR Maharaj, the director of the New Africa Alliance Footwear Distributors, was promised a share of profits.

At the time of the beginning of the trial in the case against Lata Ramgobin in 2015, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had said that she allegedly gave fake invoices and documents to persuade potential investors that three containers of linen were being shipped in from India.

Lata Ramgobin was, at that time, released on a bail of Rs 2.68 lakh (50,000 rands).

In order to get rid of her financial difficulties, she cooked up the story of Import costs towards releasing the consignments struck at the harbor as said by the NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara. 

It is worth remembering that it was the incident MK Gandhi underwent in South Africa which motivated him towards the movement of freedom struggle and hopefully, this incident must demotivate every those culprit who is frying their agendas under the mask of Gandhian. 

Sudesh DJV 

Indore MP India 

8th May 2021 

2:30 pm

Sudesh DJV writes on contemporary subjects in the form of Articles and poems which are in the interest of the Nation in particular and for Mankind in general.