Laudium’s ‘Second Wife’ accused of dishonesty and of being a thief

As many people would say, having two wives is certainly no joke and not an easy ride, which nowadays has a stigma, as many men in today’s times, are accused of marrying for the wrong reasons and of merely using religion as an excuse.

Second wives, although accepted in certain religions, are looked upon by many in a negative light, with some even labelling them ‘husband snatchers’. ‘But, who would have thought that even a business in Laudium, running under the name of ‘Second Wife,’ would have many locals slamming the owner and accusing him of being a thief and a dishonest businessman.

This follows the sudden closing of a Laudium business and the disappearance of the owner of a fast food outlet on Jewel Str, trading as ‘Laudium Second Wife.’ The Laudium Sun has recently received numerous complaints about the owner, Mohammed Abdul Ali, who has allegedly scammed many people, including friends and has apparently vanished owing many local people money. One of Abdul’s friends, Asad Habib, a businessman from 6th Ave Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “Abdul Ali is from Pakistan and since I am also from Pakistan.,we used to share a brotherly bond and help each other in times of need. On January 4 this year, Abdul Ali asked to borrow my bakkie. He told me he was moving his restaurant to a new location and needed my bakkie just for the day. Abdul Ali also asked me to borrow him fifty thousand rand, promising to return the money after a month, which is this month, February. I trusted him and agreed to lend him both my bakkie for the day and the cash. The next day, I was waiting for him, as I am a businessman and needed my bakkie for work, so I called his cell phone, but it was off. I tried calling his wife, but her phone was off too. I did not panic at first because he was a good friend, and I didn’t think that here was any reason to worry. However, after the second day, I tried calling him again, but his phone was still off.

That’s when I became very nervous and realized something was wrong. I went to his restaurant, but it was closed, as he had mentioned he was moving. After a week with no updates on his whereabouts, I decided to go to the Laudium Police Station and report the theft of my bakkie and money and filed a case against Mohammed Abdul Ali. After opening a case I did some of my own investigation, as I knew that I couldn’t rely on the Laudium Police. I found out that my bakkie had been sold to a garage, ACG Motors in Boksburg. I went to the garage and saw my bakkie there. It was a white Nissan Hardbody bakkie with a canopy. I then went again to the garage but this time with the Laudium Police, but when we arrived, the owner of the garage told us that the bakkie had been sold by a person named Mohammed Abdul Ali from Laudium.

To get my bakkie back the owner at ACG Motors said I had to pay forty thousand rand. I was shocked and angry and the police did not help me get my bakkie back. I could not understand how a friend of mine could scam me, sell my bakkie, and run off with my money. I’m not sure how Abdul Ali managed to sell my bakkie to ACG Motors as I had the bakkie’s papers, but I suspect that he probably forged the documents to put it under his name. The most frustrating part is that even though the Laudium Police were present at the garage and knew everything, they did not tell the owner of the garage that the bakkie papers he had were forged, and as such they were taking the bakkie. I was told by the Laudium Police that they needed to conduct a “proper investigation” before I got my bakkie and money back. I felt so helpless because I thought that the Laudium Police would help me get my bakkie back, but they failed as well. I believe that the Laudium Police were bribed as money can buy anything. Now, I have no other choice but to share the truth about Mohammed Abdul Ali, the owner of ‘Second Wife’ in Laudium, who I believe has scammed many people in the area,” Asad alleged.

Another resident and local businessman, Mohammed Azizul Haque from Laudium Packaging, who did business with Abdul Ali, told the Laudium Sun, “I found Mohammed Abdul Ali, the owner of Laudium Second Wife, to be dishonest. He is not only owing me money, but also owing many other residents, businesses, and people in the area. He used to buy carry bags and other packaging from us. But every month he had a problem paying. He came on January 3 and asked me to give him carry bags and certain items on credit. I trusted him and offered him credit for goods worth a lot of money. Abdul Ali asked me to send him my account number, saying he would pay me the money via bank transfer. However, I never heard from him again, and he didn’t respond to any of my phone calls. It is now almost end February and I have still not been paid.” Saddam Hussain, a businessman from Tangerine Str, told the Laudium Sun, “I used to do business with the owner of ‘Laudium Second Wife’, Mohammed Abdul Ali, as I also ran a restaurant in Laudium. When I closed my restaurant, I approached Abdul Ali to see if he was interested to buy some of my kitchen items, such as a gas stove, table, and other essential kitchen equipment. Abdul Ali told me that he would buy the items but didn’t have cash, but that he would pay me within a week, so I agreed to give him the items on credit. The total value of the kitchen items was R5000.

I trusted Abdul Ali, thinking he would pay me after a few days, but since then, I have never heard from him again. I cannot understand how someone can be dishonest like this. He owes money to many people, and some of us work very hard to earn an honest living, yet people like Abdul Ali take advantage of us. I’ve asked the Laudium Police to put the owner of ‘Laudium Second Wife’ behind bars so that he can’t scam anyone else. My last hope is to expose Abdul Ali and to warn the community of his dishonest behaviour through your newspaper, which I know many people wait each Friday to read.” Yunus Carrim of 13th Ave, who was a neighbour to the business ‘Laudium Second Wife’ told the Laudium Sun, “Abdul Ali, the owner of Laudium Second Wife, owes many residents money and has now disappeared with his family. He is believed to have scammed many different people in many different ways. He has not paid rent for the property where the food outlet was first trading. He left without paying rent for five months, which amounted to more than fifty thousand rand,” Yunus alleged. *Attempts by the Laudium Sun to get hold of Mohammed Abdul Ali for a response to the allegations was unsuccessful.