A spokesperson for the Hawks, Lloyd Ramovha, says 67-year-old Robbie Smith, who went by the alias Chris Boshoff, and his wife Alice Abigail appeared in the Knysna Magistrates Court.

He says in 1999 the couple lived in the Benoni area and faked Smith's death by creating the impression that he had died in a car accident in Vosloorus.

Ramovha says an insurance claim was registered at Old Mutual, which led to a payout of just over R1.7 million.

He says when the couple received the money, they quietly left Gauteng to go to KwaZulu-Natal but eventually settled in Knysna on the Garden Route.

Ramovha says in October 2020, Old Mutual was tipped off about the possibility that Smith was still alive and a fraud case was registered with the Hawks.

He says the team worked tirelessly to trace the couple to a hideout in Knysna, where they were arrested on Tuesday.

Police obtained a court order and searched their home, where two unlicensed firearms were also discovered.

Smith/Boshoff is the owner of Knysna Auto Repair, while his wife does the admin for his business.

The couple will be transferred to Gauteng to face a charge of fraud since the crime was committed there.

Algoa FM