UK police raids net 14 Zimbabweans in £7m fraud probe

UK police raids net 14 Zimbabweans in £7m fraud probe

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By Staff Reporter

AT least 14 Zimbabwean suspects in a £7 million fraud probe were in police custody on Thursday night after raids at 21 addresses across England.

Some 100 police officers were involved in the two-day swoop, starting Tuesday. Police confirmed the arrest of 13 men and one woman, all aged between 25 and 35 in connection with the scam targeting banks and building societies, mainly in West Yorkshire.

Suspected stolen cheques valued at £1,9 million were recovered during the sweep. A further £5 million worth of cheques believed to have been stolen in the last 18 months have yet to be found.

Arrests were made in Leeds, Wakefield, Milton Keynes, Luton, Manchester, Harrogate and Barnsley.

At a Leeds flat on Grange Avenue, in the Chapeltown area, police reported the seizure of a computer, documents and a V-registered Jeep 4x4 which was parked outside.

The suspects are held on suspicion of theft and conspiracy to defraud.

Officers from Yorkshire’s economic crimes unit led the operation, dubbed Operation Ilmington. It was initiated in the last 12 months after several banks reported high value cheques were being intercepted and cashed.

"We are determined to show organised criminals that there is no such thing as easy money,” said Detective Chief Inspector Paul Langan, the head of Yorkshire’s economic crimes unit.

"We have worked closely with our partners in the banking community and we continue to develop ways of working even more closely to keep targeting organised criminals.”

Police were checking the immigration status of the suspects to see if they were in Britain legally.

Lifting the lead on the sophisticated operation, police said they believed the gang infiltrated several banks and building societies, allowing them to steal cheques – usually for £25 000 or more. Most of the cheques belonged to commercial organisations and lawyers handling property purchases.

Police found sophisticated copying and printing equipment during the raids, and also seized several commuters. It is believed the gang was altering the stolen cheques and paying them into the accounts of bogus companies or individuals before quickly withdrawing the money.
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