An Indian-origin couple who took advantage of the urgent demand for protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic have been convicted in the United Kingdom in a multimillion-pound fraud case that financed a lavish lifestyle including a £126,000 Porsche, Rolex watches and expensive home upgrades.Jogesh Bhandari, 59, and his wife Meenakshi Bhandari, 48, were found guilty of offenses related to fraud and handling criminal property at Leicester Crown Court in Britain. Craig Morris, 43, was also convicted of conspiracy to defraud by false representation and related offences. According to the BBC report, all three will be sentenced on August 21.
ppe scam
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the group claimed they could supply millions of boxes of nitrile gloves at a time when hospitals and businesses were urgently trying to secure protective equipment.Jogesh Bhandari ran a company set up in 2020 to trade gloves, while Morris helped arrange the fraudulent deals in 2020 and 2021. To convince buyers, the group used forged documents to support its claims, including fake letters as well as bank statements showing balances of up to $125 million.
luxury spending
Investigators found that the money obtained through the scam was spent on luxury goods and lifestyle upgrades. Bank records revealed that Jogesh and Meenakshi Bhandari bought Rolex watches, jewellery, holidays and expensive cars.Jogesh also bought a Porsche worth £126,000, while some of the funds were used to renovate his kitchen.
WhatsApp message revealed
Thousands of WhatsApp messages uncovered during the investigation revealed how the pair discussed taking advantage of the PPE shortage.In one message, Morris wrote: “The news is everywhere about PPE shortages. Let’s clean up!! Give milk… fill ya shoes.”Jogesh replied: “It’s about good teamwork and everyone making money.”In another exchange, Jogesh shared an image of a Rolls-Royce and said: “But if I want one of these we have to keep going.”
Took lakhs through fake deal
The NCA said one of the biggest scams began in November 2020, when a company agreed to buy 12 million boxes of gloves. Instead of being held safely in an escrow account, the funds were immediately released to Jogesh and US attorney Frank LaBruzzo, who were said to be running a fraudulent escrow service.A month later, $2.7 million was paid into the account, of which approximately $500,000 was used to repay Jogesh and his wife’s debts. In early 2021, Jogesh received more than $3.18 million for gloves that were never distributed to hospitals in the United States.In the latter deal, he received $1.35 million directly into his business account, sent £200,000 to Morris and then bought the Porsche.All three defendants were arrested in February 2023.NCA operations manager Paul Boniface said: “All of this activity occurred at the height of the pandemic, where demand for PPE was skyrocketing. Bhandari and his co-conspirators took advantage of these vulnerabilities by exploiting people and businesses for their own financial gain, paying for lavish lifestyles of luxury cars and significant home improvements.”He added: “This type of fraud takes essential tools away from genuine organizations and has far-reaching impacts beyond the immediate loss to the legitimate businesses involved.”