2 INDIANORIGIN BRITISH MEN JAILED FOR CABLE TV FRAUD

Two Indian-origin men who were part of a multi-million pound fraud that allowed thousands of people in the East Midlands to watch subscription television for free have been jailed for nearly two years each.

The men – Manish Javahar and Bobby Bhairon – were part of an eight-member group that previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud Virgin Media. The mastermind of the fraud was Mahesh Tailor, who was jailed for six years in 2016.

Javahar, 35, and Bhairon, 39, were sentenced to jail at the Leicester Crown Court last week, closing an investigation by Leicestershire Police.

Police said Tailor, 51, found a way to get around the encryption for channels supplied by Virgin Media. He imported set-top boxes from the Far East and sold them for £180 each. He reached customers by contacting them on internet forums and had his own website linked to the sale of boxes.

Detective constable Amrat Bhagwan, who investigated the case, said: “This was a lengthy and complex investigation which saw officers being deployed at various locations across the country to take the network down and render the boxes useless.

A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “Virgin Media has a zero tolerance approach to piracy and we thank Leicestershire Police for continuing to crack down on this criminal activity.”