Taxman’s Indian takeout snares crook

A TAX-evading owner of an Indian restaurant was rumbled after undercover investigators bought curries from him.

Monir Miah was jailed for two years after admitting to lying about his takings from The Crown of India, in Stone, Staffordshire, and falsifying VAT repayment claims. The 58- year-old had only been declaring half of his business and deregistered for VAT, saying his restaurant was doing too badly, allowing him to avoid £90,000 in taxes.

But officers from HM Revenue & Customs uncovered the true scale of his income by tracing payments, counting customers and even by ordering curries – which they checked for against records and tax returns. Miah was offered a chance to put his affairs in order but he decided to deliberately mislead investigators. Sentencing Miah Judge Martin Walsh said: ‘It was a calculated dishonesty.’