Plea to Gurkhas caught in £ 30m con

GURKHA soldiers caught up in a suspected £ 30million investment swindle are being urged by detectives to come forward.

The Gurkhas, recruited from some of the poorest regions of the world, parted with life savings and pension pots on the promise of huge returns.

Servicemen from the British Army brigade are thought to have handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Detectives uncovered the names of Gurkha soldiers as they worked to identify investors in a fund run by a firm based in the City of London.

The Capital World Market fund offered five per cent interest per month and investors ploughed in tens of millions of pounds. Detectives have sent letters to 60 members of Britain’s Gurkha and Nepalese community urging them to get in contact.

Officers fear hundreds of Gurkhas and Nepalese were caught up in the swindle. But so far, the soldiers have been reluctant to speak to the police.

In the next two weeks, detectives will be holding briefings at military bases to make direct appeals to members of Gurkha regiments to come forward if they have invested in the scheme.

Chief Inspector David Manley said: “We are very keen to hear from members of the Gurkha and Nepalese community who have put money into CWM’s managed fund that was offering a five per cent return per month. Anyone who gets in contact will be dealt with sensitively and the information they share will be handled in complete confidence.”

In March, 10 men and three women were arrested at the Heron Tower in the City of London on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.

Seized

All the suspects work for CWM, a foreign exchange trading company. Computers and files were seized.

They were released on police bail until September following questioning by City of London Police. None of them has been charged.

Detectives can be reached on 020 7601 6830. Alternatively investors can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.