WESTERN CAPE: A Cape Town woman who vanished after allegedly swindling victims out of more than R166 000 has finally been caught after evading authorities for two years.
Nicolene Elizabeth Gouvias, 51, has been re-arrested by the directorate for priority crime investigation (Hawks) on 24 April after failing to appear in court on charges of fraud, having been on the run since February 2024.
A warrant of arrest had been issued for Gouvias, who is accused of defrauding multiple victims through a liquor licence application scam that resulted in combined financial losses of R166 500, according to Hawks spokesperson Lt. Col. Siyabulela Vukubi.
Between 2016 and 2019, Gouvias allegedly assisted victims in obtaining liquor licence applications, informing them that temporary three-month licences would be issued before becoming permanent. She requested varying amounts of cash from each applicant, but never submitted the applications, according to Hawks spokesperson Lt. Col. Siyabulela Vukubi.
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Gouvias is also linked to other cases currently under investigation by the South African Police Service, including an alleged accommodation scam in Brackenfell in 2024.
She will appear at the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 28 April 2026.
