40 insurance conmen found guilty

40 conmen have been found guilty of taking part in an insurance fraud worth £5.3m.

A joint investigation between the Bedfordshire Police and the Insurance Fraud Bureau, dubbed Operation Exhort, resulted in 33 defendants pleading guilty to various offences connected to the fraud.

Eight more pleaded not guilty, of which seven were convicted and one acquited. Another eight people were cautioned for involvement in the crime.

The final 3 members were found guilty at Luton Crown Court yesterday and will be sentenced on 27 April.

Kamsan Mahmood, 42, of Long Meadow Farm, Chalton, Istafa Hussain, 35, of Lincoln Road, Luton and Peter Charlery, 45, of Long Meadow Farm, Chalton, were all found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

Irtiza Fazal, 40, of Lincoln Road was found not guilty by the jury following a seven week-long trial.

The three convicted men have all been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on April 27 at Luton Crown Court.

The fraud ring included those from the legal, medical and motor sectors.

Bedfordshire Police senior investigating officer and assistant chief constable Andrew Richer said: “This was a calculated and systematic fraud perpetrated on numerous victims. In some cases collisions were engineered to involve unsuspecting motorists and in other cases claims were made about accidents which were entirely fictitious.

"This kind of fraud substantially inflates insurance premiums for every honest driver in the country."

IFB director Glenn Marr said: "Today once again demonstrates the effectiveness of the insurance industry and police working collaboratively to disrupt fraudsters and protect innocent motorists and genuine policyholders.

"We will continue to find, pursue and expose criminals involved in organised insurance fraud. The message is loud and clear - seek to defraud an insurer and you risk serious repercussions, to include prosecution and seizure of assets."