Police search led to the unravelling of web of deceit
THE ringleader of a gang of fraudsters who planned to cheat insurance firms out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been jailed.
Mohammed Shabir, 37, of Uxbridge Street, Burton, was sentenced to two years in prison following a hearing at Wolverhapton Crown Court.
Judge Michael Challinor said the offence was one ‘which struck at the heart of society because it not only affected insurance companies, it resulted in increased premiums for motorists’.
The scam was centred around Shabir and a gang of associates acquiring damaged vehicles, staging accidents and claiming payouts for phoney injuries from insurance companies.
Following Shabir’s sentencing, the Mail is now able to exclusively reveal the full details behind the investigation that helped snare the 12-strong gang.
The police operation began on Sunday, November 29, 2009, when a search warrant was executed at 125 Uxbridge Street, Burton — the home address of Shabir.
While conducting the search officers became suspicious that Shabir was involved in defrauding a number of vehicle insurance companies.
This resulted in a large amount of documentation being seized and a further search was conducted at an industrial unit associated to Shabir at Unit 5, Kiln Way, Swadlincote.
Stolen motor vehicles and parts, documentation and a cannabis growing room was discovered.
As a result of a complex and protracted investigation by the pro-active unit based at Burton, several offences were exposed, with Shabir as the instigator and a common denominator.
On Monday, November 30, following his arrest, a search was carried out at the industrial unit and hidden under a false mezzanine floor was a concealed room which contained two cannabis growing tents.
In growing tent one, a total of eight fully grown plants and 31 cuttings were recovered.
In growing tent two, eight fully grown plants were found.
The forensic scientist examining the plants said that haul amounted to around 546 grammes and had a street value of approximately £3,120.
Subsequent forensic submissions revealed that Shabir’s fingerprints were recovered from a plant pot containing a cannabis plant, a bulb in the growing room, an extractor fan box and from the inside edge of a propagator (a covered and heated container).
Fingerprints of his associate, Asif Khan, were found on the inside of the growing room and a bag within the growing room.
From within the same unit a Mini engine and Mini body panels and car components were recovered, which were later identified as belonging to a red Mini diesel stolen in February 2010 from Lincolnshire.
Police inquiries showed that Shabir was the tenant of the unit and had paid cash for its use on the first of every month.
On Friday, March 26, 2010, Shabir was re-arrested regarding the items found in the garage and for conspiracy to defraud insurance companies.
Documentation was seized from both Shabir’s home address and Unit 5 on November 29 and 30.
As a result of sifting through these documents, it emerged that Shabir was instrumental in engineering false claims on several insurance companies using numerous friends and the stolen red Mini recovered from his garage
NAMED AND SHAMED — THE GANG AND THEIR CRIMES
MOHAMMED SHABIR, 37, of Uxbridge Street, Burton, sentenced to two years in prison. He was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to produce cannabis.
ASIF KHAN, 25, of Grants Yard, Burton, sentenced to 12 months’ jail, suspended for 18 months, and 180 hours’ unpaid work. Admitted conspiracy to produce cannabis and conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
IFTIKHAR HUSSAIN, 40, of Uxbridge Street, Burton, sentenced to nine months in prison. Convicted of conspiracy to defraud.
NABILA KOUSER, 33, of Uxbridge Street, Burton. Nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months and 200 hours of unpaid work. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
LEE RANKIN, 47, of Burton Road, Woodville. Twelve months imprisonment. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
CRAIG RANKIN, 21, of Meadow View Road, Newhall.
Nine months’ prison. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
GEMMA CHISHOLM, 21, of Forest Road, Dunstall. Six months’ prison. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
LIAM CHISHOLM, 22, of Forest Road, Dunstall. Six months imprisonment. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
AMY RANKIN, 27, of Elmsleigh Drive, Midway. Nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with 150 hours of unpaid work. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
KELLY TUNKS, 22, of Heron Drive, Woodville. Six months’ imprisonment. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
SARAH WHEELDON, 24, of Calgary Crescent, Winshill.
Six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months’ and 150 hours unpaid work. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud
CLAIRE BLOUDDYN, 26, of Grants Yard, Burton. Nine months’ imprisonment. Guilty of conspiracy to defraud
IBRAR ISMAIL, 34, of Uxbridge Street, Burton, jailed for 12 months earlier this year. He was described as not being part of the 12-strong main gang.
‘People who commit large-scale insurance fraud must go to prison’
MOHAMMED Shabir’s co-conspirators were convicted in July at Stafford Crown Court.
It was revealed during the trial that, using damaged vehicles bought from salvage yards, ringleader Shabir recruited family and friends to claim for phoney injuries like whiplash.
In one staged-managed accident, a stolen Mini pulled out in front of a car transporter which could not avoid a rear-end shunt.
Another bogus claim involved a written-off Toyota Shabir had purchased from a scrapyard in Doncaster and insured under false details.
Shabir recruited his sister, Nabila Kousar, and her husband, taxi driver Iftikhar Hussain, to be the injured occupants from a ‘mythical accident’.
Judge Michael Challinor told members of the guilty gang: “Each of you were prepared to lie on claims forms for your own ends, for accidents that had not occurred and injuries not sustained.
“The overall monetary loss would have been somewhere in the region of £100,000, but there is also the damage to the integrity of the insurance system.
“This type of fraud is difficult to detect. This impacts on ordinary motorists, who see their premiums rise inexorably.
“The message must go out that people who involve themselves in this largescale, bogus insurance fraud will receive prison sentences.” Three claimants received personal injury payments — Nabila £1,950, her husband £1,800 and Amy Rankin £3,500 for ‘whiplash’.
Some members of the gang got cold feet when faced with more forms or medical examinations, while other claims were stopped because of police intervention.
‘The lies began to fall like a deck of cards’
THE officer who led the investigations into the insurance scam gang has spoken for the first time about the operation and the outcomes of the case.
Detective Sergeant Bev Hunt, who oversaw the two-year operation from Burton Police Station, said: “The deck of cards around the gang really started tumbling down after the first warrant was exercised.
“Through this several other crimes became more obvious and, due to the complex nature of this type of insurance fraud, it took from 2009 until now for these people to be brought to justice.
“Due to the wide-ranging number of crimes and people involved, this investigation dipped in and out of several others.
“Following on from the judge’s comments, we are obviously delighted with the way that the case has panned out.
“We echo his comments and are very pleased that custodial sentences have been handed out to those responsible.
“More for the fact that this kind of crime is often perceived as a soft kind of fraud, the outcome has shown the criminal justice system at its best and working for the public.
“Normal people would have been the ones who would have suffered as a result of this crime as insurance premiums would have risen, which is a nightmare in times of financial trouble.
“This also sends a message that we take crime like this very seriously and this can be seen by the fact that these criminals have been made an example of.”
http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Police ... 082011.htm
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