'SCAMMERS' ARREST; Fraud police swoop in pounds 170M sale-rent probe.Byline: JEREMY ARMSTRONG A COUPLE behind a suspected pounds 170million homes scam exposed by the Mirror were arrested yesterday. Thousands fear they could face eviction The removal of a tenant from possession of premises in which he or she resides or has a property interest done by a landlord either by reentry upon the premises or through a court action. as the "sale and rent back" scheme run by David and Grace Purdie is investigated. Many of the alleged victims are elderly people who sold their properties to free up retirement cash. Others sold to the North East Property Buyers (NEPB NEPB NATO Exercise Policy Board NEPB National Enterprises Promotion Board ) after getting behind with their mortgages. They thought they had a home for life. But it is alleged that after receiving, in some cases, only a fraction of the sale price, mortgages went unpaid for up to a year. Police probing NEPB arrested five people in Newcastle and Sunderland on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud To make a Misrepresentation of an existing material fact, knowing it to be false or making it recklessly without regard to whether it is true or false, intending for someone to rely on the misrepresentation and under circumstances in which such person does rely on it to his or . They included the Purdies, Grace's daughter Amee Wilkinson - due to marry this month - fellow director Mike Foster and former office manager Linda Patterson, 44. The arrests came weeks after police raided offices of NEPB, Newcastle Home Loans - run by David Purdie, 51 - and seven homes linked to the two firms. Det Insp Phil Butler of Northumbria Police Northumbria Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in England. The service is the sixth largest police constabulary in England or Wales. As of April 2005, the current Chief Constable is Mike Craik. Economic Crime Unit described it as a "serious fraud investigation" involving 2,000 properties. Officers are investigating mortgages of up to pounds 170million, allegedly taken out in the names of people linked to NEPB bosses Mike Foster, 36, and Grace Purdie, 47. A Northumbria Police spokesman said yesterday: "Five people have been arrested in connection with conspiracy to defraud and they will be bailed pending further inquiries." CAPTION(S): INQUIRY We revealed raid QUIZZED Homes boss Grace Purdie |
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