Couple from Enfield among three people convicted over “large-scale fraud operation”

From left; Ezzu Ahmet, Cebrail Polat and Munube Polat

A gang of fraudsters have been sentenced following a £1million bank loan investigation.

Married couple Cebrail and Munube Polat, of Enfield, schemed with Ezzu Ahmet of Waltham Cross to defraud a bank via an unregulated company based in Wood Green called Bee Finance.

Between May 2018 and August 2019, Polat, Polat and Ahmet conspired together to obtain fraudulent bank loans, making applications for the loans using false payslips.

The threesome conspired to obtain 42 fraudulent loan applications, leading to a loss of approximately £1m for a UK bank.

Cebrail Polat and Munube Polat were charged with conspiracy to make fraudulent representations and received seven and six-year sentences respectively, while Ahmet has been given a suspended two-year sentence.

The sentencing followed an investigation by a specialist industry-sponsored police unit, the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU).

Detective Constable Matthew Cornell, who investigated the case for the DCPCU, said: “These criminals thought they could get away with a large-scale fraud operation, stealing approximately one million pounds.

“Fortunately, we were able to identify these individuals and put a stop to their criminal activity, after working closely with the banking and finance industry.

“This sentencing will warn anyone who believes they can benefit financially from committing fraud, showing that they will be caught and brought to justice”.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.