Mohammed Arfan, 39, declared an income of £5,000 in order to claim £77,000 in tax credits, while at the same time he told mortgage lenders that he earned £72,000 in order to take out a series of mortgages.
His wife Riffit, 41, also obtained a false mortgage to buy her fashion shop, Sahil Fashions. In total their fraudulent activity amounted to £700,000, with borrowings based on false references and 24 different bank accounts.
They used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle, running two houses, including their £200,000 family home in Bury, Greater Manchester.
They owned two businesses and drove a Range Rover Sport and a BMW X5. Their six-year fraud came to light in 2010 after Mohammed Arfan was arrested and charged with dealing drugs at his off licence in Stretford.
Ian Horrocks, financial investigator from GMP’s Serious Crime Division said: “The Arfans’ were living a lifestyle and driving around in cars that many honest hard-working people can only dream of.
“This couple tried to hide their criminal dishonesty behind a tangled web of 24 bank accounts. However, we were able to unpick their finances and discover exactly what money they had been spending.”
