MUTALE - A funeral scheme agent, Foster Nthangeni (29) was arrested by the police after he had allegedly defrauded an amount of R12 000 from pensioners at Thononda in the Mutale area on Monday.

According to Insp Masiagwala of the police at Siloam, Nthangeni used to collect the money from the pensioners at the pension pay point.

It is alleged that he was fired from his work, but continued defrauding the people around the Mutale area. The matter was disclosed when a 58-year old woman from Khakhu Village went to claim the money for the burial of her mother. She was shocked when the owner of the funeral scheme told her that Nthangeni was fired long ago.

She was supposed to bury her mother on Saturday, but she does not have enough money.

The police at Siloam had confiscated fifteen funeral scheme books from Nthangeni. He appeared in the Dzanani Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of fraud.