An organised crime group that fraudulently obtained over £320,000 through a 'crash for cash' scheme has pleaded guilty to fraud charges, according to the London City police.
Raju Patel and Kamlesh Vadukul, who led the group, submitted insurance claims and applications to a vehicle repair finance service for road traffic collisions that were either staged or never occurred. The remaining eight members either orchestrated the collisions or provided their details to facilitate the fraudulent claims.
An investigation by the City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) led to guilty pleas from two members of the group at Birmingham Crown Court:
Kamlesh Vadukul, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering.
Amarjit Dhaliwal, 45, also known as Amo Singh, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
The other members initially denied the charges, but during the first week of their trial, they also submitted guilty pleas:
Raju Patel, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering.
Aqeb Hussain, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Dimple Ghera, 38, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Minata Jalloh, 32, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Saqib Khan, 32, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Asid Nadeem, 40, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
James Payne, 37, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Amjad Rehman, 50, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Detective Sergeant Adam Maskell, from IFED, stated that 'crash for cash' schemes increase insurance premiums for all policyholders and pose risks to motorists. He added that the case demonstrated the collaboration between insurers and law enforcement to detect and prevent organised fraud.
Patel and Vadukul operated a vehicle body repair shop, which they used as a front for fraudulent insurance claims. In December 2015, they established an agreement with a repair finance service that provided immediate funding for non-fault drivers to repair their vehicles, with the expectation that the costs would later be recovered from the at-fault party’s insurer.
The pair used stolen identities, or the personal details of their associates, to take out motor insurance policies. They then submitted claims for vehicle damage linked to staged or non-existent collisions. Supporting evidence, including photographs of allegedly damaged vehicles, was sent to the repair finance service, which did not physically verify the claims before issuing payments.
Concerns were raised by multiple insurers when they identified irregularities in the claims. Many of the policies had been purchased shortly before the reported incidents, and some vehicles were not registered to the policyholders. The Insurance Fraud Bureau referred the case to the IFED, which found that none of the eight repair finance claims it investigated were legitimate.
Between December 2015 and October 2016, Patel and Vadukul submitted fraudulent repair finance claims worth £275,548 for 39 staged or fabricated collisions. The repair finance service paid the funds into a bank account controlled by Vadukul. During the same period, £321,055 was deposited into this account and subsequently withdrawn in cash or transferred to accounts linked to Patel.
The group is scheduled to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on April 28 and 29, 2025.