Mahatma Gandhi’s great-granddaughter was accused in the six-million rand fraud and forgery case. Recently she was found guilty by the court and sentenced to 7 years in jail. The Durban court announced the verdict and sentenced the 56-year-old to jail.

On Monday, the court announced the verdict in which Ashish Lata Ramgobin was found guilty. She was allegedly involved in a fraud case.

In 2015, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that Lata forged the invoices and provided fake documents. She made the businessmen believe that containers filled with linen are being imported from India and that they should invest with her. A trial was going on at that time but Lata was released on a 50,000 rand bail.

Lata is the daughter of well-known activist Ela Gandhi and the late Mewa Ramgobind. She appealed for leave but was denied. Even the appeal for the sentence was denied by the court.

She took 6.2 million rupees from businessman SR Maharaj on the pretext of having a use for it in import and customs duties. She said that a consignment was coming from India for which she needed clearance money. Maharaj believed that he would be getting the profits as well. But all the documents that she provided were forged and were fake.

According to the court, she met the director of New Africa Alliance Footwear Distributors, SR Maharaj back in August 2015. This company provides finance for other investments and companies on a profit-share basis. Since Maharaj’s company deals with the import, manufacture and selling of clothes, he believed that investing in Lata’s idea (Linen shipment) would earn him profits as well. She told him that three large containers filled with linen are being shipped from India for the South African Hospital Group NetCare.

Lata made Maharaj believe that all she wanted was some financial help as she is unable to pay for the clearance and customs of the goods. To convince Maharaj, Lata showed him some forged documents and fake receipts of the order purchase and took around Rs 6.2 million from him. She sent him fake documents in the name of NetCare making him believe that the shipment was received by them. She kept sending all the forged documents.

But soon enough, Maharaj found out that none of the documents was real. He confirmed with NetCare that Lata had made no agreement with them. After this, Maharaj registered a complaint against her and based on all the evidence, she was charged with a jail sentence.