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Tour operator jailed for £50,000 Covid bounce back loan fraud

Government
James Chapple
22 September 2025

A tour operator has been jailed after fraudulently securing a second £50,000 government bounce back loan during the pandemic.

A man places a roll of bank notes in his jacket pocket
(Credit: iStock / MachineHeadz)

Imtiaz has been sentenced to 26 months in jail (Credit: iStock / MachineHeadz)

Raja Imtiaz, 52, of Blackburn, claimed on his second loan application that it was his only request for support for his firm Al Fayroz Travel & Tourism Limited.

However, Imtiaz made the second application for the maximum £50,000 reward in summer 2020 just two weeks after securing an initial £50,000 loan.

He was jailed for 26 months during a hearing at Preston Crown Court last week. He has also been disqualified as a company director for six-and-a-half years.

It follows an investigation by the Insolvency Service. Chief investigator David Snasdell said Imtiaz "exploited a scheme designed to support small businesses during the pandemic".