The last two defendants in a ‘crash for cash’ investigation must re-pay £243,119 following a hearing at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday (August 12).
Kamsan ‘Kimmy’ Mahmood, 44, of Lincoln Road in Luton, and Istafa Hussain, 36, also of Lincoln Road, were ordered to pay £192,000 and £51,119 respectively within six months.
They are currently serving jail terms; Mahmood five years and Istafa four-and-a-half years.
Det Chief Insp Shane Roberts said: “It is inconceivable that criminals can leave the justice system still in possession of the money and assets they’ve acquired through their offending. No matter where you or your assets are, Bedfordshire Police will actively pursue you until those monies are identified and repaid.
“So far this year half a million pounds has been taken back from criminals in Bedfordshire, of which £95,000 has been returned to Bedfordshire Police. This has been used to sponsor further crime fighting initiatives and to support community based projects that will benefit the public, such as the ‘Bobby Van’.”
The investigation which put Mahmood and Hussain behind bars was a groundbreaking seven year operation that uncovered a criminal syndicate behind a “crash for cash” insurance scam.
The fraudsters staged road traffic collisions then submitted false insurance claims, and a total of 37 criminals were sentenced over three years.
The investigation by a small team of detectives was one of the largest fraud rings the industry has ever seen.