Rupali Wagh/Image: BBC
An Indian-origin woman has been jailed for more than two years after fraudulently securing over £216,000 in government-backed COVID-19 loans by exaggerating the turnover of her companies and using much of the money for personal expenses and investments.Rupali Wagh, 50, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in Wales on Friday after admitting five counts of fraud linked to the UK’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme, which was introduced to help businesses survive the pandemic, PTI reported.Investigators found that Wagh obtained a total of £216,250 (Rs 2,80,75,521) in loans for four businesses between May and September 2020 by submitting false turnover figures and, in one case, obtaining duplicate loans for the same company.Rather than using the money to support her businesses, she transferred large sums into her personal bank account, paying off personal debts, investing in stocks and shares, and sending more than £25,000 to an account in India, according to the Insolvency Service, cited by the news agency.Her first fraudulent application was for £16,250 on behalf of One2Four Accounting Ltd. Wagh claimed the company’s turnover was £65,000, despite records showing it had generated only £39,000 in the previous year. Within weeks of receiving the funds, most of the money had been moved into her personal account.She later secured the maximum £50,000 loan for Talensetu UK Ltd by claiming the business had an annual turnover of £218,000, even though official filings showed the company had been dormant. Days after receiving the money, she transferred the full amount into her personal account, using it for personal finance, stock market investments and a transfer of more than £25,000 to India.The following month, Wagh successfully applied for another £50,000 Bounce Back Loan for the same company through a different bank, falsely stating it had not received any previous loan under the scheme. Investigators said she again diverted almost all of the funds for personal use.She also obtained £50,000 for White Coconut Ltd, an Indian street food business in Cardiff, after overstating its turnover at £252,000, despite providing a much lower estimate of £72,000 when opening the company’s bank account. The application also falsely stated the business had not already received a Bounce Back Loan, despite an earlier £18,000 loan.Her final fraudulent application involved Indian Canteen Ltd, a company incorporated in January 2020. Wagh secured another £50,000 loan by claiming annual turnover of £206,000, although she had previously estimated the business would generate only £82,000. Investigators said she later transferred more than £25,000 of those funds to White Coconut Ltd.During the investigation, Wagh initially claimed someone else who had access to her computer had submitted one of the applications without her knowledge. She later withdrew that account and admitted she had acted alone.She also admitted using the government-backed loans to clear personal credit card debts and other loans, saying she believed reducing her personal liabilities would ultimately benefit her businesses.David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said Wagh had exploited a scheme created to support genuine businesses during the pandemic.He said she had deliberately inflated company turnover, secured duplicate loans and diverted public funds for personal gain, adding that authorities remain committed to pursuing COVID-19 fraud regardless of how much time has passed. Go to Source
