Sentenced: Whitechapel restaurant owner who cooked the books in tax fiddle

The owner of an Indian restaurant in Whitechapel who cooked the books in a tax swindle has been given a suspended jail sentence and a hefty fine.

Sokrum Ahmed, 47, who owns Red Chilli in Leman Street, under-declared takings at his restaurant and pocketed £117,000 worth of VAT payments charged to customers via online delivery services.

The four-year fraud was uncovered by a team set up by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tackle tax dodgers in the restaurant industry.

Investigators discovered Ahmed was using a secret bank account to hide the money.

Ahmed, who lives in Parfett Street, Whitechapel, admitted tax evasion and was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, fined £75,000, must pay £96,000 compensation and undertake 150 hours of unpaid work.

Mark Cox, from HMRC, said: “Ahmed thought he could stash his cash away and cheat UK taxpayers.

“He was wrong and is paying the price for his greed.”