British-Bangladeshi convicted of fraud over five simultaneous UK civil service jobs
East London resident Kashem Chowdhury has been convicted of fraud after secretly working five full-time UK public sector jobs simultaneously while working from home.
A 56-year-old British-Bangladeshi man has been convicted of fraud after secretly holding five full-time UK public sector jobs at the same time. Kashem Chowdhury was unanimously found guilty of nine fraud charges on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, and was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Chowdhury, of Whitechapel in east London, fraudulently obtained more than £284,000 between February 2020 and September 2023 across eight government bodies. Exploiting pandemic remote-working arrangements, he hid concurrent roles at the Home Office, Defra, and NHS bodies, with contracted hours reaching 183 hours in a single week.
The deception was uncovered in 2024 through a government data-matching fraud initiative. Prosecutors have recommended a five-year prison term, and authorities confirmed they are pursuing legal action to recover the stolen public funds.
Source: প্রথম আলো
