A fraudster from Dartford has been jailed after masterminding a money laundering scam worth more than £650,000.

Janarthanan Arunasalam, 36, of Strickland Avenue, Dartford, was sent to prison for two-and-a-half years after he organised the fraud against the account of a high-value customer of Nationwide building society, with £562,4000 stolen.

Arunasalam was found guilty of a further fraud of £97,525 against a Halifax customer account – making a total of £659,000.

It follows an investigation by the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU), the specialist police unit sponsored by the banking industry through Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK).

DCI Dave Carter, head of the DCPCU, said: “Arunasalam masterminded a sophisticated money laundering scam which saw him steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from customers’ accounts.

“We are delighted he has received a lengthy custodial sentence in recognition of this serious criminal enterprise.

“Unravelling this scam was challenging, and made possible only through the police and banks working closely together to secure these convictions.”

“Unravelling this scam was challenging, and made possible only through the police and banks working closely together to secure these convictions" - DCI Dave Carter

At the same hearing, Gnanathilagan Narayanasamy, 35, of Ash, Hampshire, was given a sentence of 10 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 20 months, with 240 hours’ unpaid work, for fraudulently acquiring property related to the Nationwide account fraud.

Others who were unnamed were said to have used fraudulently-obtained passbooks and counterfeit passports and managed to authorise transfers into two business accounts held by Narayanasamy.

The funds were then either transferred to Dubai or cashed at a foreign exchange bureau.

During the trial, evidence from Arunasalam’s mobile phone revealed his role in organising and facilitating this fraud, which took place between October 23 and November 19, 2009.