MPS officer convicted of crash-for-cash scam

At Southwark Crown Court, Hardeep Dehal was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud and sentenced to 30 months’ immediate custody.

Tesco delivery driver Raiyaan Anwar also admitted the offence, which took place in March 2016.

Dehal was one of five people in a Citroen car driving through East London. As part of a pre-planned arrangement, Anwar collided with the Citroen.  He then reported the crash to his employers as a genuine accident caused by him.

Dehal alleged he had suffered injuries and made a claim for compensation, submitting medical reports claiming severe pain, stiffness and discomfort, and anxiety.

Tesco’s insurance company admitted liability, on the understanding that one of its delivery drivers had been at fault in a genuine collision with members of the public. The amount of compensation due to each of the men was still to be determined, but it is understood that Dehal could gain in excess of £18,000.

However, analysis of telephone data, including text messages and mobile network evidence, showed that the defendants, between them, had exchanged 375 telephone contacts over a two-month period shortly before the crash.

Busola Johnson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Hardeep Dehal claimed personal injury as a result of the staged crash and stood to gain thousands of pounds from insurance companies. Not only had he meticulously planned the fraudulent crash, but he put himself at risk of real physical harm in the pursuit of insurance money.”