A HALLOW man who sold 1.4million litres of illegal fuel to unsuspecting motorists through his fuel distribution company has forfeited nearly £25,000 of his criminal profits.
Charnjit Singh Randhawa, 51, of Main Road, Hallow, is currently serving a two-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to the fraudulent evasion of excise duty at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, April 23.
The fraud came to light following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which found Randhawa had sold more than 1.4 million litres of illegal fuel to members of the public and commercial customers through his company, GR Fuels.
While searching his house officers seized £24,805 in cash, which was forfeited at a hearing at Worcester Magistrates’ Court last Thursday (April 6).
Randhawa used the profits from the £79,000 fraud to live a very comfortable lifestyle, owning a Range Rover and an Aston Martin.
The fraud came to light in December 2012 when HMRC’s Road Fuel Testing Unit detected kerosene in the fuel tank of a taxi after it had been filled at a station owned by Randhawa.
The investigation found his company had been selling kerosene as diesel to customers, including other distribution companies and petrol stations in the area. Methanol, a cheap additive used by criminals to bulk out unleaded petrol, was also detected in fuel supplied by the company.
Peter McDermott, Assistant Director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: “Randhawa not only defrauded taxpayers but he conned honest customers, who thought they were buying legitimate fuel. Crime really doesn’t pay.
“We are determined to recover stolen tax from criminals who think they can steal from the public purse and get away with it.
“This recovered cash will be directed to where it should have been – toward funding vital public services.”
