The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court has granted a R100, 000 bail to a 57-year-old travel agent accused of defrauding clients of hundreds of thousands of rands.
Premila Shunmugam, the owner of Silver Touch Events based in Greenstone Hill, is facing three counts of fraud involving an alleged amount of R400, 000. The charges stem from incidents reported to the police since July 2025.
Bogus luxury international travel packages
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Shunmugam allegedly used the same modus operandi to defraud several clients by offering to arrange luxury international travel packages through her agency.
“It is alleged that after agreements were reached, the complainants transferred funds to the accused. But no travel services were rendered. And the money was never refunded,” said NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
The complainants later opened cases at various police stations.
Earlier in December [December 8, 2025], Shunmugam voluntarily went to Wierdabrug Police Station to provide a statement. She was arrested following questioning by police.
During bail proceedings, the state opposed her release. Prosecutor Chris Maruma submitted an affidavit by the investigating officer, Sergeant Martin Malapela. It highlighted that Shunmugam was previously convicted of fraud in 2006.
“The investigating officer further indicated that there are currently 37 dockets opened against the accused across Gauteng and other provinces,” said Mahanjana. “The affidavit also stated that after relocating, the accused failed to provide police with her new residential address.”
Bail granted despite state opposition
Despite the state’s opposition, the magistrate ruled in favour of granting bail.
The court noted that although there are multiple dockets under investigation, Shunmugam has not yet been charged in those matters.
“The magistrate found that a single previous conviction does not automatically suggest a propensity to commit crime. And he ruled that exceptional circumstances existed to justify bail,” Mahanjana explained.
The case has been postponed to February 18, 2026, for further investigations.
READ MORE: Court orders bogus travel agent to pay back the money
