A woman from Wiltshire who travelled around the country to con retailers and businesses out of half a million pounds has been jailed for years.

Narinder Kaur, formally known as Nina Tiara, of Chosen Hill in Cleverton, near Malmesbury, was sentenced to ten years in prison on Tuesday, July 30 at Gloucester Crown Court.

The 54-year-old was previously found guilty of 26 counts of fraud, money laundering and perverting the course of justice on Friday, March 10, 2023.

During Kaur’s sentencing, the judge described her dishonesty as being of an Olympian scale and said her home was a treasure trove of criminal proceeds.

Kaur travelled across the country to steal from well-known high street stores and then claimed refunds on those items.

(Image: Wiltshire Police)

Between July 2015 and September 2019, it is estimated that Kaur made around £2,000 worth of refunds per week, equating to over half a million pounds in fraudulent refunds and stolen goods.

Fraud investigator, Steve Tristram, from West Mercia Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “This sentence today sends out a clear message that West Mercia Police will deal seriously with prolific fraudsters.

"Kaur is a calculated individual who committed offences across the country, dishonestly claiming refunds on items she had stolen.

“She showed no remorse of her actions and even thought she would get away with submitting false documents to the court with the intention of perverting the course of justice.

“West Mercia Police took ownership of the investigation into Narinder Kaur in 2018. Working with National Business Crime Solution, an organisation representing retailers, and other police forces as a multi-agency approach, we were able to investigate further into her criminal activity and found fraudulent activity in her bank accounts which subsequently brought her to justice.”

She first came to Wiltshire Police’s attention in 2016 for theft and a joint investigation took place between Wiltshire and West Mercia in August 2020, where over a thousand items believed to be stolen were seized from her home near Malmesbury.

Kaur was further arrested in October 2020 by Wiltshire Police when she attempted to fraudulently return items in Dunelm, St Margaret’s Retail Park in Swindon.

Hundreds of items were later seized from her property, including more than £113,800 in cash and dozens of gift cards.

Kaur was also arrested for witness intimidation when she threatened to sue Dunelm staff if they made witness statements to the police and despite being on court bail, the offences continued and Kaur was arrested in May 2021 for attempting to return stolen items to Asda stores in both Melksham and Swindon.

A third search of her home led to £38,000 in cash being recovered, found hidden beneath a water heater by a police search dog.

While under investigation for these offences, she embarked upon a scheme to defraud other businesses using the dishonestly obtained credit card details of members of the public.

Additionally, she was arrested by Wiltshire Police on several occasions for breaching her court issued bail by entering stores she had been instructed by the court not to, and failing to adhere to curfew times.

Detective Inspector Tom Straker added: "As most of us went to work, Kaur carried out crime as her profession. She travelled up and down the country earning a living as a professional shoplifter and a prolific fraudster and attempted to evade detection by using around 17 alias names.

"In an effort to derail investigations Kaur attempted to intimidate both police staff and public witnesses, but thanks to the determination and professionalism of our officers, and the co-operation of the public, I am pleased that she will be behind bars for some time.”