Gauteng woman who hid inside freezer to evade arrest sent to jail for fraud and theft | News24

Prishne Khan hid in the freezer. (NPA/Supplied)

• A former finance manager has been sent to jail for fraud and theft.
• Prishne Khan, who had been on the run since 2023, was found hiding inside a freezer when police went to arrest her at her new home in Nigel, Gauteng, last week Friday.
• Khan was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for 63 counts of fraud that resulted in losses exceeding R3 million.

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A former finance manager who hid inside a deep freezer to evade arrest has been sentenced to a decade in prison for fraud and theft.

Prishne Khan, 37, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on Monday, where she was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on 63 counts of fraud that resulted in losses exceeding R3 million.

She had been on the run for a year, after absconding from her trial in 2023 when she was found guilty.

Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Khan was sentenced to a further four-year jail term for theft amounting to R350 000.

The four-year sentence will run concurrently with the 10-year jail term. 

READ | Man arrested for alleged R23m ponzi scheme fraud

According to Mahanjana, Khan was employed as a bookkeeper at the Northerns Cricket Union from June 2015 to 18 January 2017. 

Her work responsibilities included processing payments for various service providers.

“Instead of executing her duties honestly, she altered banking details on multiple invoices, replacing them with those of her husband and cousin and misappropriating R350 000 over six weeks from May to June 2016.

“When questioned about her actions, Khan resigned from her position,” said Mahanjana. 

After resigning from the Northerns Cricket Union, Khan became the finance manager at Customer Loyalty Consultants (PTY) Ltd from 9 March 2017 to 30 September 2017.

This role, the NPA said, provided her with access to the company’s bank account and banking systems.

“During her employment, Khan again manipulated customer banking details to funnel payments into accounts controlled by her husband and cousin.

“Despite her ability to process payments, she could not execute them immediately due to a token needed, which was the responsibility of another employee.

“After leaving the company in September 2017, another employee provided her with the token, allowing her to release payments totalling more than R3 million to herself from September 2017 until March 2018,” said Mahanjana. 

Khan’s fraudulent activities came to light when the bank alerted Customer Loyalty Consultants about suspicious transactions.

Subsequent investigations by the police led to Khan’s first court appearance on 31 May 2018. 

“In court, Khan pleaded guilty to the charges and attributed her criminal conduct to financial difficulties, claiming she needed the money for essentials, including purchasing a motor vehicle for her husband,” said Mahanjana.

Mahanjana added:

The NPA said during sentencing proceedings, Khan had sought leniency based on her responsibilities toward her three children aged 6, 12 and 15, and cited ill-health as factors in her favour.

In response, prosecutor Pulane Segalo argued that Khan had committed serious offences, emphasising that she had betrayed the trust of her employers for personal gain.

Segalo urged the court to impose a sentence of direct imprisonment to reflect the gravity of Khan’s actions.

“The matter was postponed to 3 March 2023 for the judgment on the sentence. However, Khan absconded, leading to a warrant for her arrest.

“A year later, on 30 August 2024, she was located hiding inside a freezer at her new home in Nigel [Gauteng], leading to her arrest and court appearance on Monday,” said Mahanjana. 

According to the NPA, when handing down Khan’s sentence, the magistrate agreed with the State that her actions were motivated by greed rather than necessity.

“He [the magistrate] noted that Khan did not demonstrate genuine remorse. She only pleaded guilty due to the realisation of the consequences of her actions.

“Consequently, the court determined that the only suitable sentence in these circumstances was imprisonment,” said Mahanjana. 

The NPA welcomed the ruling and reaffirmed its commitment to holding offenders accountable for commercial crimes.

“This case serves as a reminder that the NPA is dedicated to prosecuting fraud and maintaining integrity within financial dealings in South Africa,” Mahanjana said.