Key Points
- Farmer allegedly burned his harvester to claim R700,000 in insurance.
- A decade-long investigation led to his arrest for fraud.
- Muller was granted bail and will appear in court again on May 14.
Johannes Conraard Muller, a 56-year-old farmer from Eastern Cape, faces charges of fraud after allegedly setting fire to his own grain harvester to claim R700,000 in insurance.
The police’s Provincial Commercial Crime Investigation Unit (CCIU) arrested Muller following a decade-long investigation into the suspicious claim.
In 2016, Muller set fire to his harvester on his farm in Clocolan, then filed a false insurance claim. T
he insurance company paid him the full R700,000 after he misled them with false details about the incident.
Investigation leads to breakthrough and arrest
Police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli explained that the insurance company approved the claim based on the false information Muller provided.
Investigators scrutinized the claim over several years, eventually uncovering the fraud. The breakthrough came after the Bethlehem CCIU conducted a thorough investigation, which led to Muller’s arrest.
Muller granted bail, next court appearance scheduled
Muller appeared before the Clocolan Magistrate’s Court on April 1. He was granted bail of R500 and will return to court on May 14. The case highlights the consequences of insurance fraud and the vigilance required to detect it.
