Derbyshire Restaurant Owner Jailed for £480,000 Tax Scam
Nazrul Islam, 52, has been slammed with a three-year jail sentence after HMRC uncovered a massive £480,000 tax fraud at his Repton restaurant. The fraud came to light when investigators found a secret sales book dating back five years, revealing dodgy dealings.
Hidden Sales and Secret Accounts Exposed
Islam, from Birmingham, hid sales to dodge paying almost half a million pounds in tax. The scam unraveled in April 2017 after police raided his Great Barr home and his Jaipur restaurant on High Street. HMRC agents discovered detailed daily takings records between 2012 and 2017 that didn’t match his official VAT returns.
Even sneakier, Islam used a separate card payment machine funneling money into a different bank account. This cunning move helped him conceal up to 50% of his actual takings, cheating the taxman for years.
HMRC Cracks Down on Tax Fraud
“I would urge anybody who knows of anyone committing any type of tax fraud to report them to HMRC online, or call our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.” – Richard Paris, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC
Richard Paris slammed the operation as “a determined, well planned and long running fraud.” He added: “Tax fraud is not a victimless crime. Islam deprived vital UK public services of this money and gained an unfair advantage over honest competitors who pay the tax they owe.”
Islam admitted evading VAT, Income Tax, and National Insurance at an earlier Birmingham hearing. The hefty jail term sends a stern warning to those thinking of pulling a similar stunt.
