Indian cricket coach stole another man's identity to stay in the UK

Indian cricket coach who stole man’s identity to overstay his visa in UK by SEVEN years is caught out when victim went to get his Covid jab and was told he had already had it

• Harshil Patel, 30, got married and obtained bank cards in the name of his victim
• Melvin Dias, 31, realised his identity was stolen when he couldn’t get a covid jab
• Patel, from Hounslow, West London, has been jailed for three years for fraud 

An Indian cricket coach who stole another man’s identity to stay in the UK was only discovered when the real man went to get his Covid jab and was told he had already had it.

Harshil Patel, 30, got married and obtained bank cards and a driving licence in the name of his wholly innocent victim Melvin Dias.

It emerged that Patel had overstayed his visa by seven years before he stole Mr Dias’s details.

The ‘talented cricketer’, who arrived in Britain 12 years ago on a student visa, which was valid until 2012, made £23,000 working for Tesco and Ladbrokes in his victim’s name over the 20-month period in which he had his identity.

Patel was finally caught when the real Mr Dias tried to book a coronavirus jab in May this year, only to be told someone had already been administered the vaccine in his name.

A court heard Patel decided to try and ‘regularise’ his immigration status after inheriting money from the family home in Gujarat, India, in 2019.

Harshil Patel (pictured), 30, got married and obtained bank cards and a driving licence in the name of his wholly innocent victim Melvin Dias

It was claimed he may have paid up to £65,000 for the false papers.

The computer science and electrical engineering graduate had been an occasional cricket coach and moved between causal jobs while living in Britain.

The victim, Mr Dias, 31, arrived in Britain from Goa, India, four years ago but was granted leave to remain because his wife is Portuguese.

He first became worried in August last year when he applied for a Portuguese citizen card, but had it refused because he was told one was already in use.

He had to send all his documents to Portugal and get a lawyer, but only became sure he had fallen victim to fraud after struggling to book a jab.

Upon this discovery, he confronted Patel at his home in Hounslow, west London, but was initially told he was lying, and the defendant claimed he was the victim.

Mr Dias explained how the fraud left him with depression, as he was unable to get Universal Credit for six months because of struggles to prove his identity.

He told the court: ‘I locked myself in my room and stayed away from everyone as I was so stressed, I never thought I would ever get a job or income to look after myself.’ 

Harshil Patel was jailed for three years at Isleworth Crown Court (pictured) after admitting to fraud by false representation and using false identity documents

Patel, who had no previous convictions, admitted fraud by false representation and using false identity documents when he appeared at Isleworth Crown Court. 

James O’Connell, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim in this case is a 31-year-old man called Melvin Dias, who arrived in the UK from Goa in India in 2017 and was granted leave to remain in 2017, because he was married to a Portuguese person at the time and Portugal and Britain were both EU members.

‘In August 2020 he applied for a Portuguese citizen card which was refused, as he was told a card had already been issued and was in use. 

‘Then in May 2021 he applied for a coronavirus vaccine through the NHS, and it was it this point it really became clear he had fallen victim to identity fraud. 

‘He went to his GP for help, and it was soon found the person using the documents appeared to be this defendant.  

Sunjay Versani, in mitigation, said: ‘He is very remorseful and has a lot of empathy for his victim. 

‘He comes from a humble background in Gujarat and always dreamed of becoming a professional cricketer.

‘He came to the UK in 2009 and studied computer science and electrical engineering on a student visa but was left unable to work or fund his education.

Jailing Patel for three years, Recorder Simon Russell-Flint QC told him: ‘I hope this case exposes the reality of identity theft, as this was serious criminality. You told the probation service you were prepared to pay £65,000 to obtain the identity.

‘You purchased another man’s identity and purchased a false life based on that. You obtained employment in his name and used his name to get married.

‘This was sophisticated offending for financial gain, but the real impact is the suffering you caused to your victim.’

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