THREE fraudsters have been ordered to repay more than £180,000 after evidence including £37,570 in cash, 300 account numbers and 60 counterfeit bank cards was found during a murder investigation.
Tharani Satkunananthan, also known as Tara, 28, of Revell Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Vyon Silvanathan, 28, of Glyn Avenue, Barnet, and 21-year-old Jessica Sohan, previously of Lonsdale Drive, Enfield, were ordered to pay back the money yesterday at Harrow Crown Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The three were found out after officers investigating the murder of Douglas Yogarasa on February 6, 2006, searched Sohan's house in Lonsdale Avenue, Enfield.
During the search they found an Adidas holdall in the loft cupboard next to the loft bedroom she occupied.
The contents of the bag included £32,570 in cash; 60 counterfeit credit and debit cards awaiting embossing with account details; several blank cards and 02 mobile top up cards which had compromised credit card details uploaded onto them.
There was also a chip and PIN machine; data to help track credit and debit cards and the account numbers of over 300 cards.
Enquiries revealed a large number of bank accounts had been compromised and their owners had lost significant amounts of money.
When they were contacted, they told officers they had lost £60,000 on bank card fraud alone.
During the course of the enquiry a large number of customers were contacted and statements of their losses obtained.
Officers established a bank account had been set up in the name of 'A Raj' by Silvanathan.
Satkunananthan had paid a number of unauthorised bank transfers from her employer into a bank account and had company cheques made out to 'A Raj'.
The three were arrested and a trial started on April 16 at Harrow Crown Court.
Silvanathan pleaded guilty in to conspiracy to defraud, possession of criminal property, possession of false instruments.
He pleaded not guilty to the second conspiracy to de-fraud but was later found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison.
Sohan and Satkunananthan pleaded not guilty but were also convicted.
Sohan was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years, 300 hours community service and an 18-month supervision order.
Satkunananthan was sentenced to a total of three years imprisonment.
Detective Chief Inspector Pete Lansdown of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: “This money has been obtained through criminal activity and it is only right that they should have to give it back.
"This case shows that if you chose to make your living through crime not only will you serve a prison sentence, but you will lose all the proceeds as well, in this case crime really does not pay.
"Despite this success at court, the murder of Douglas Yogarasa remains unsolved and anyone who has any information, who felt they could not come forward at the time of the murder is urged to speak to police in confidence.
"A £20,000 reward is still offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the death of Douglas."
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