A repeat offender from Wolverhampton has been sentenced to 17 weeks in prison for his fraudulent and misleading actions after pocketing over £5K from a trusting householder.
A trusting customer, who wishes not to be named, arranged to meet con artist, Harjit Singh Marwaha, to discuss plans for a single level extension at his property.
Mr Marwaha began to charge the customer for a number of services that were not undertaken, not required, or did not require a fee to be paid.
Marwaha also provided the customer with false information stating Birmingham City Council had approved planning permission to build on an adjacent piece of land for a new property.
The customer had taken out a loan for £26,000 in readiness for the works before discovering planning permission was not approved by Birmingham City Council, the land was not for sale, and could not be built upon due to an outstanding covenant.
A local resident reported Marwaha’s fraudulent services to City of Wolverhampton Council’s Trading Standards team who discovered they had a history with the repeat offender.
Last week (August 17) Harjit Singh Marwaha, received a Custodial Sentence by Wolverhampton Magistrates Court and charged with three counts of fraud and six counts of consumer protection from unfair trading regulations.
Marwaha will serve 17 weeks in prison with 12 months supervision after release. He was directed by the Court to pay the victim £3,000 for compensation.
Marwaha, has previously been prosecuted for Fraud Act and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations in 2013 and again in 2016.
The Wolverhampton con man, changed his name by deed poll to ‘Manmohan Singh’ and regularly uses the name ‘Michael Singh’ in a bid to hide his fraudulent history.
Marwaha also set up a new limited company ‘McLaran Ltd’ using the name Mr Manmohan Singh to continue to deceive and con vulnerable customers.
Councillor Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Environment at City of Wolverhampton Council said: “I’m pleased a level of justice has been served.
“Fraudsters cause a huge amount of stress to the victims who are putting their trust in someone to make improvements to their home, only to be badly let down and repeatedly lied to.
“It’s vital that we bring cases like this to the public’s attention, to ensure they avoid becoming victims to selfish fraudsters.
“I sympathize with anyone who becomes victim to con artists and the emotional and financial damage their carless actions cause.
“I would like to thank the Council’s Trading Standards team for their efforts in bringing some justice for the householder that has been affected in this mindless and selfish act.”
