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£600k scamlands fraudster in jail


A FRAUDSTER who tricked 27 people inKent out of over £600,000 has been jailed for six years and ninemonths. Two victims of Samheel Baig (pic- tured) came from Maidstone, and lostmore than £30,000.


Baig (39), ofLanarkshire,has been DHA spokesman Ch is Hawkins at the exhibition


jailed for his role in defrauding 27 victims from October 2017 to June 2018 by pretending to be a fraud in- vestigator and tricking victims into sendingmoney to “safe” accounts. His behaviour came to the atten- ntion of Kent and Essex Serious CrimeDirectorate onMarch 23 after theywere alertedby a victiminCan- tRESIDENTS have expressedwor- She had received a phone call fcrroeated by hundreds


ries about the erbury.


nvestigator. She was told to go to heThe development will see 800 other account as the investigator be- lieved she could become a victimof fraud.


msomeone claiming to be a fraud ihou es to be built on theA274. r bank and transfer £6,500 to an-


the bank why she was transferring themoney. The victimreturned home and re-


ceived another call telling her to go back to the bank to transfer a further £5,600. En route she became concerned


and called Kent Police. Officers executeda searchwarrant


in Scotlandon June 5 andfoundtwo phones containing information on potential victims, along with their bank details. Baig was found to have been in-


volvedin contacting victims andco- ordinating the transfer of funds into a number of “safe” accounts. Each victim was called by some-


five-bedroom homes has been re- duced by 50 fromthe original appli- cation, with 240 affordable homes and 60 care units for people with “additional needs”. Countryside saiditwill contribute


She was told not to tell anyone at


£250,000 for the first five years to- wards more buses and create a roundabout to deal with the 1,500 plus extra cars on the roads. The reduction in homes will help


to create a green buffer between the housing estate and Langley church. An exhibition at Langley village


Trucker had drugs in cab


ACOURTheardthat cocaine smug- gled in a lorrywith a street value of more than £650,000wasdestinedfor a service station inMaidstone. The Lithuanian truck driver’s pa-


hall on July 18 to explain the plans was staged by DHA Planning, but local people claimed it was poorly publicised. DHA spokesman Chris Hawkins conceded attendance at the exhibition had been quite low but said people seemed “quite happy with the concept” of the housing. He said developerswere improv-


ing five junctions along the Sutton Roadandadditional laneswouldbe


aged by fire.


Morecarworries over 800 homes


olume of traffic of new


homes near Langley village, to be built by Brentwood-basedCountry- side Properties. The overall number of two- to


one claiming to be a fraudinvestiga- tor who had noticed suspicious ac- tivity on their bank accounts. He would then ask the victim to


created to absorb extra traffic. Leeds/LangleyReliefRoadAction


transfermoney to a beneficiary bank account as part of the investigation. Baigwas sentencedatCanterbury


Crown Court on Monday, July 30, after he admittedconspiring to com- mit fraud by false representation. Detective Constable Mark New-


Group spokesman Wendy Young (pictured below) said:


“I was


man said: “Baig and other conspira- tors were relentless in their approach in contacting as many people as possible to try and con- vince themto transfer theirmoney. “He was a key part of an organ-


pleasedto see that therewas a reduc- tion in the num- ber of homes, as it creates a green buffer with the church. “But it really


isedcrime groupwhopreyedon the most vulnerable for his own finan- cial gain andshowedno remorse for the effect his actions had on his vic- tims. “I would encourage friends and family members to pass on fraud prevention advic


‘modal


claims. It is just pie in the sky.” resiLd nts who may not be aware of


to lp protect this type of scam.” shift’


does not address the problems of traffic, which are already horren- dous. The B2163 from Langley to Leeds will just become a cut- through to theM20, and theWheat- sheaf junctionwill be a nightmare. “Horseshoes Lane will become the first cut-through and it simply is not able to cope as it is. Let’s face it, no one is going to catch a bus,walk or ride a bike asMaidstoneBorough Council’s


concept eeds Parish council chairman


John Govett said the new develop- ment is “inevitable”, as it is in MBC’s Local Plan for 17,600 homes. He said: “There is nothingwe can


hour break inHolland. A search of his cab revealed the


perwLeorkvstaeted hey awrasrtraenssptorting Blaze at pub tional Crime Agency officers. He told them he was approached on


cigarettes and a number of tape- wrapped packages under his bunk, which contained cocaine. Tuoma was arrested and brought


sushi, bratwurst andchocolate from to the UK for questioning by Na- Germany to Telford, but 8kg of the


en charg d.


housing e tate in Maidstone has February 4 by a Russian-speaking beIt took the jury just 20 minutes at man at a service statiuon on the CanterburyCrownCourt to convict Dutch/Belgian border who asked


Policewere called t Downswood crews were called to an outbuild- Vaidotas Tuoma (52) of drug-smug-


at 2.50am n July 26 and found ing behind the disused Pilot pub gling onMonday, July 31.


Kent Fire & Resc e Servic himto bring tobacco to the UK and


Thomas Levey (24) lying on the deliver it


chargedwith three thefts fromcars bursed” after giving over the pack- was loaded, but had taken a nine-


Mr Levey, of Hayle Road,Maid- February 5,where he toldofficers he had been present when the lorry


ound. A rucksack containing cers stopped Tuoma’s lorry at the Channel Tunnel


stone was arr sted an and the theft of a cycle.


has been was extinguished. ages.


grThe court heardBorder Force offi- Maidstone. item was seized.


in Upper Stone Street early on July 19.


to a service station i


in Coquelles on met by someone who would say “tobacco” and he would be “reim-


Roads stayed open while fire- fighters tackled the blaze, which


The driver claimed he would be


The c use of the fire has not been disclosed.


do about the development – that’s going to happen.Alot of that traffic will be going through Leeds and Langley and the road can’t cope.”


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A THEFT suspect who was ar- ADERELICT pub in the centre of classAdrug and800 cigaretteswere


rested early in the morning on a Maidstone has been badly dam- found in his cab.


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