He was the first to be arrested on charges of fraud involving the Coronavirus Bounceback Loans, in addition to the Out to Help Out Discount Scheme.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials arrested three people in London on charges of fraud by falsely representing public revenue and fraud.

The men, aged 43, 46 and 3, are suspected of having exploited It Out to Help Out, which Chancellor Ishii Sunak revealed to encourage them to go to restaurants.

Three more people were arrested in the Birmingham area on October 30 – on charges of fraudulently collecting ১৪ 5145,000. Coronavirus Bounceback .n

The National Crime Agency said the men had been questioned and released under investigation.

The arrests have resulted in the government being identified as the first enforcer in dealing with fraud COVID-19 Business support system.

Cath Doyle, deputy director of HMRC’s fraud investigation service, said: “A large number of businesses will use brick-outs to assist responsibly, but we will not hesitate to work where there is a risk of misuse of the scheme.

“This limits taxpayers’ money and any claim that is proven to be fraudulent limits the public’s ability to support them and deprives public services of the necessary funding.”

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To boost the hospitality sector, the 50% discount on up to ড 10 per person in August was used for more than 100 million meals across the UK.

The government’s initiative was designed to bolster the economy after the national lockdown, and allow pubs and restaurants to offer heavily discounted meals on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August.

However, there are significant allegations that the scheme was exploited by fraudsters Contributed to a “significant” rise In new coronavirus infections

An investigation by the Daily Mail last month claimed that Papa John’s pizza chain outlets run by Rachel Chowdhury were participating in the scheme and were in fact providing collection and distribution services during the epidemic.

Mr Chowdhury said at the time that he was “fully co-operating” with Papa Johns’ internal investigation.

The HMRC declined to confirm or deny whether the arrests were related to suffrage.

The arrests are expected to be the first of many since the National Audit Office (NAO) warned last month that taxpayers could lose 26 26 billion from fraud, organized crime or defaulters.

The Loans project is designed for small and medium-sized businesses affected by the epidemic, with up to £ 50,000 for the first year without any fees or interest.

Rachel Herbert, from the NCA, said: “The NCA and others will pursue national and organized criminals who seek to exploit the assistance provided to businesses during times of national crisis.”