A Londoner who staged a burglary at his house in a bid to claim for £57,000 worth of jewellery and gadgets, that police later discovered when they raided the property, has been sentenced.
Brikenjeet Singh had previously pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at the Old Bailey, following an investigation first by insurer Direct Line Group and later by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).
On 29th July 2014 the 37-year-old (DOB 24/03/78) reported to his insurer that his house on Chesterton Road (E18) had been burgled the day before and that jewellery, laptops, smart phones and cameras, along with the corresponding receipts and £2,000 cash had been stolen.
Singh claimed he left home with his wife to go shopping when he realised he had forgotten his wallet. When he returned to his house to pick it up he discovered it had been burgled but that there was no sign of forced entry. He said he contacted his wife to confirm she still had her house keys, which he said she did not. Singh then told his insurer that he believed she must have dropped the keys nearby.
He said he then telephoned the Metropolitan Police Service to report the burglary.
However Direct Line Group found Singh had not called his wife before the police and that two telephone calls were made from his landline in the time he said he was out.
The insurer also identified the photographs Singh had sent them of the ‘stolen’ items had been taken the day after he said the crime occurred.
When challenged with these inconstancies, Singh changed his version of events leading to Direct Line Group making a referral to IFED.
Singh was arrested at his home in November 2014. On searching the property detectives recovered from a safe in the master bedroom the jewellery pictured in the photographs Singh had sent to Direct Line Group. They also recovered a smart phone and two laptops that Singh had listed as stolen on his claims form.
On the 28th July 2015 at the Old Bailey, Singh was handed a six month jail term suspended for two years. He was also ordered to undertake 100 hours unpaid work and pay £1,300 in costs and victim surcharge.
City of London Police Detective Constable Shaun Duff, who led the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department’s investigation, said: “Singh thought his fraudulent claim for jewels and electronics would see him quids in but instead he is going to be forced to work for free.
“Making false claims to insurance companies is not acceptable, and IFED will continue to work with industry to secure convictions against fraudsters.”
Mark Chiappino, Counter Fraud Manager at Direct Line Group, said: "Mr Singh obviously thought insurers were an easy target that he could fraudulently get money from. However, his attempts to put the burden of his crime upon our honest policyholders were stopped and now he'll be the one paying for his crime."