'This gang took every and stay under radar

POLICE BRING DOWN CRIMINAL OPERATION THAT LAUNDERED £53M THROUGH CITY POST OFFICES

- By DYLAN HAYWARD

A CRIMINAL gang laundered more than £53 million through Post Office branches across Leicester using a sophisticated operation involving money mules and cryptocurrency.

The group used a token system to manage cash deliveries and carefully broke down the money into smaller amounts in an attempt to avoid detection.

Operation Kilo, which began in 2021 and spanned more than four years, uncovered the complex cash-based money laundering scheme running through the Post Office network in the city.

Criminal cash was transported into the city from around the country and entered the banking system through Post Office branches across the county between 2019 and 2021.

The gang were systematic in their approach, using different people to make deposits across a number of bank accounts at multiple Post Office locations.

Operation Kilo led to 10 people being arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The leader of the criminal operation was Jigar Gheewala, 45, a declared bankrupt who oversaw the entire scheme.

Criminal money from around the country would be couriered into Leicester under his instruction, with Gheewala acting as the sole point of contact with a cryptocurrency business which was used to transfer the laundered cash into the crypto market.

Working alongside him was Rajul Patel, 50, who acted as Gheewala’s right-hand man and watchdog of the operation.

When cash was being handled, Patel was often there physically to make sure all went well, usually hidden just around the corner, and served as custodian of bank cards used to pay in and launder the cash.

The gang recruited trusted operatives to carry out the day-to-day laundering work across the city.