Durban - An Isipingo home affairs department official was arrested on Friday for allegedly participating in an insurance fraud scam, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
The 29-year-old was the sixth person believed to be involved in a syndicate which cashed in on other people's funeral policies, Colonel Vincent Mdunge said in a statement.
The syndicate allegedly used living people's identity documents to register them as deceased with home affairs.
One man's funeral policy, taken out with Momentum insurance company, was defrauded of R50 000.
Police arrested the first alleged syndicate member, Jackson Zungu, on December 12 in Pinetown.
John Mhlangu from Stanger, was arrested shortly after. Mhlangu allegedly passed on the victim's particulars to Zungu.
On December 13, Sibongiseni Thabethe and Mbongeni Majola were arrested in Durban. Thabethe was arrested for a similar crime in October last year and released on bail.
On December 14, a fifth person, Patros Dlamini, was arrested.
The home affairs official arrested on Friday allegedly stole the relevant form from the department, then registered the living person's details so a death certificate could be obtained.
When all the relevant documents were ready, the claim was submitted and R50,000 was fraudulently obtained from the funeral policy.
The home affairs official would appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday.
The other suspects appeared in the court previously. All but one was granted R1200 bail. - Sapa