“Crash for cash fraud puts motorists at risk"
A gang behind a “reckless” crash for cash scam that netted over £320,000 has been sentenced.
The operation was led by Raju Patel and Kamlesh Vadukul.
The pair staged road traffic collisions, or made them up entirely, to make bogus insurance and vehicle repair finance claims.
Their scheme ran between December 2015 and October 2016, mainly across Walsall. Eight others helped the ringleaders by deliberately causing crashes or supplying personal details for fake claims.
Police described the actions as “reckless” and “risky”.
Some collisions involved slamming on the brakes in front of innocent drivers. Others never happened at all.
Detective Sergeant Adam Maskell at the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) said:
“Crash for cash fraud puts motorists at risk and contributes to the rise in premiums for everyone who buys insurance.
“The level of planning involved in this scheme shows the greed of calculated insurance criminals and the measures they will take to gain financially.
“This outcome reflects that fraudulent claims don’t go unnoticed by insurers or law enforcement, and we will work collaboratively to bring organised criminals to justice.”
The scam was uncovered after a joint investigation by IFED and the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB).
Investigators found the group spoofed a genuine vehicle repair firm to back up their claims.
The fraudsters parked vehicles near the real business to deceive inspectors and submitted fake repair invoices to an accident repair finance company.
That company would then seek costs from the supposed ‘at fault’ insurers.
Vadukul opened a bank account to receive the payments, while Patel was linked to multiple transactions.
In total, the account received £321,055. Investigators said most of it was withdrawn in cash or moved into other accounts tied to Patel.
Patel and Vadukul submitted claims for 39 separate collisions, totalling £275,548.
They also recruited others to pose as drivers and passengers, coaching them via WhatsApp with scripts for medical visits and insurance calls.
All 10 defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court:
- Raju Patel, aged 40, of Walsall, was jailed for five years.
- Kamlesh Vadukul, aged 36, of Sheffield, was jailed for four years and one month.
- Amarjit Dhaliwal, aged 45, of Warwick, was sentenced to 19 weeks in prison.
- Dimple Ghera, aged 39, of Wolverhampton, was sentenced to a 12-month community order.
- Aqeb Hussain, aged 42, of Oldham, was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months.
- Minata Jalloh, aged 33, of Dudley, was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
- Saqib Khan, aged 32, of Walstead, was given a 12-month community order.
- Asid Nadeem, aged 40, of Dudley, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
- James Payne, aged 37, of Sandwell, was given a 12-month community order.
- Amjad Rehman, aged 50, of Walsall, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Jon Radford, head of intelligence, investigations and data services at the IFB, said:
“We’re pleased to see this organised crime group has faced justice for their reckless actions.”
“Crash for cash scams are devastating, as they place innocent people in danger and victims can suffer significant emotional distress as a result of being targeted.
“We’re working closely with the police and insurers to help protect the public from this issue, and urge anyone with evidence of insurance fraud to report it to our confidential CheatLine.”
Confiscation proceedings to recover the stolen funds will take place at a later date.
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