A self-styled Bollywood film producer of Indian origin accused of multi-million-pound tax fraud is on the UK’s most wanted list of fraudsters released on Tuesday.
Sandeep Arora from Beckton area of east London allegedly claimed 4.5 million pounds in value-added tax (VAT) and film tax rebates for movies that were either never made or with which he had no involvement. The 42-year-old is now believed to be living in India and known in film circles there as Karan Arora.
The list also includes 39-year-old Pakistani fraudster Faisal Butt, who was convicted in absentia in the UK for stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from over 100 bank accounts and is believed to have fled to his native Pakistan.
“The annual losses to the UK from fraud are estimated to be more than 190 billion pounds. Behind this headline figure lie the actions of criminals like the wanted fraudsters highlighted in this appeal, who have caused distress and loss to people and businesses up and down the country,” said Donald Toon, director of the NCA’s economic crime command.
Preliminary figures released in October 2015 found that there had been 5.1 million incidents of fraud in England and Wales in the previous year, affecting an estimated one in 12 adults and making it the most common form of crime.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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