London, September 06, 2003:
Sunil Vishnu MAHTANI, 27 year-old male, former Technical IT Engineer
has pleaded guilty to eight offences. Two counts of Conspiracy to Defraud,
two counts of Computer Hacking, two counts of Possession With Intent
to Distribute Paedophile Material and two counts of Making Paedophile
Material. Shajahan MIAH and Shaidul Islam RAHIM, both unemployed males
aged 26 years, ave pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud.
All appeared at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court on 25.4.03.
Heathrow Express was identified as the common point of purchase for
credit and debit cards that had suffered fraud, notwithstanding the
fact that the cards in question never left the possession of the customer.
It was the banking data relating to purchases that had been compromised.
During the investigation it was established that the retailer MAKRO
was a second source for compromised cards.
MAHTANI worked for a company styled ‘Checkline’ who were
responsible for processing the credit card details for purchases on
the Heathrow Express. Together with MIAH and RAHIM, MAHTANI conspired
with an Asian gang of Drug Dealers in Leicester (who have recently been
convicted and sentenced to a total of 46 years imprisonment for drugs
trafficking) to obtained and distribute the counterfeit cards.
A total of 100,000 credit card numbers have been recovered. The loss
suffered by the banking industry is in the region of £2 million.
A further £228,800,000.00 was at risk.
The Paedophile material was discovered when MAHTANI’S computer
was examined.
All three have been remanded in custody for sentence on 17.7.03.