"Hundreds of east London council homes are suspected to have been fraudulently allocated to tenants by local authority housing officers who allegedly demanded cash for properties. Police on Thursday arrested two people after executing a series of raids in Barking and Dagenham and Essex. The City of London Police and the council launched a joint bribery and corruption investigation - Operation Chandrila - after receiving allegations that several hundred social homes had been wrongly issued to people between November 2020 and December 2024."
"Prospective tenants answered social media adverts and were provided contacts as to how they could obtain affordable housing in Barking and Dagenham, police said. The tenants allegedly paid fraudsters finders fees and inflated rents, some of which was paid in part back to the council and some was not. Two people were arrested on Thursday and taken to Bishopsgate custody to be interviewed, police added."
Police launched Operation Chandrila, a joint bribery and corruption investigation after allegations that several hundred Barking and Dagenham social homes were wrongly issued between November 2020 and December 2024. Prospective tenants answered social media adverts and were directed to contacts who enabled access to affordable housing. Tenants allegedly paid finders’ fees and inflated rents, with some payments passed back to the council and some retained by fraudsters. Two people were arrested in raids in Barking, Dagenham and Essex and taken to Bishopsgate custody. Authorities have set up an online form and are appealing for potential victims to provide information.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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