Three members of a Luton-based cash-for-crash gang operating a £5.3m insurance scam have been jailed.
Kamsan Mahmood, 42, Peter Charlery, 45, and Istafa Hussain, 35, all of Bedfordshire were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at Luton Crown Court earlier this month.
Mr Mahmood was jailed five years, Mr Hussain for four-and-a-half and Mr Charlery for 18 months. Irtiza Fazal, 40, was acquitted by the jury after a seven-week trial earlier this month.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Exhort, resulted in a total of 39 defendants who appeared at Crown Court at separate hearings over a period of three years.
The investigation resulted in 33 defendants pleading guilty to a variety of offences in connection with the fraud.
The remaining eight pleaded not guilty at two separate trials – seven have been convicted and one acquitted. A further eight people were cautioned for their involvement in the crime.
Andrew Richer, Senior Investigating Officer and Assistant Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police, said: “In 2006 Luton was a known hotspot for offences, also known as ‘cash for crash’, but in 2011 that is no longer the case. False details about the accidents were provided to insurance companies and bogus documents were created. Some vehicles were deliberately damaged in order to support the claims, which were made in respect of damage to the vehicles, personal injuries, recovery costs, hire vehicles, legal costs and loss of earnings.”
CPS Thames and Chiltern prosecutor, Frances Bush, from the Bedfordshire branch, said: “Many of the 37 offenders involved in the ‘cash for crash’ and mortgage fraud were supposedly respectable people who thought they were above the law, and that they could make vast sums of money through this criminal activity and get away with it.
“The evidence was strong and this fact led to the majority of the defendants pleading guilty, whilst the jury convicted four of the remaining defendants. All the offenders have now been sentenced accordingly by the courts for their crimes. The police and CPS will robustly investigate and prosecute fraudsters and their money and assets will be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure that they do not benefit from their crimes. Crime doesn’t pay!”
Glen Marr, director, IFB added: “The insurance industry does not and will not tolerate fraud. It has an impact on the cost of insurance for genuine consumers and the industry is committed to rooting out and bringing to justice, those criminals who target insurers. This operation further reinforces the risks fraudsters face when seeking to deceive insurers and the personal consequences of their actions.”
Source: PostOnline
