British Indian shoplifter convicted of multiple counts of fraud

London, March 17

An British Indian woman, who made more than 500,000 pounds by claiming refunds on items she shoplifted on an "industrial scale", has been convicted of multiple counts of fraud.

Narinder Kaur, 53, from Cleverton in Wiltshire, was convicted of all 26 counts on an indictment which included fraud, possessing and transferring criminal property, and perverting the course of justice, Sky News reported.

Between July 2015 and February 2019, Narinder Kaur, also known as Nina Tiara, travelled all over the UK, defrauding various retailers more than a thousand times, targeting multiple branches of chains, including Boots, Monsoon, House of Fraser and Homesense.

The police found 1,50,000 pounds and many stolen goods from her house after searches.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Narinder Kaur had "very many" bank and credit card accounts and made shoplifting her full-time career.

"Close examination of her accounts confirmed the pattern of purchases and refunds and that the same process seen on the CCTV was being repeated on hundreds of occasions," the CPS was quoted as saying in Sky News.

During the trial, prosecutor Gareth Weetman described her as "an intelligent but highly dishonest and manipulative individual" who had deceived shops, banks, solicitors, and even the courts.

The CPS, along with the police, used financial data, retail records, witness evidence and CCTV which proved Narinder Kaur's pattern of offending.

She was arrested in Swindon while attempting to get a refund, which led to the discovery of 49 shopping bags filled with goods.

Narinder Kaur, whose trial at Gloucester Crown Court lasted four months, will be sentenced at a later date.

--IANS