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A woman from Walsall who illegally claimed thousands of pounds in benefits went on to treat herself to cosmetic surgery.
Salma Chowdry claimed £14,446 in housing benefit and £1,600 in council tax benefit from Walsall Council, all the while owning a mortgage-free property in Halifax, West Yorkshire, worth £90,000.
The benefit fraud came to light in April last year and just months later the 40-year-old took out a £77,000 mortgage on the Halifax house. In court, Mr Philip Brunt said £30,000 ended up in an Abbey account and there were regular high-value withdrawals between January and June of this year.
He said: “There has been no proper explanation as to where that money went but it is said some was spent on cosmetic surgery.”
Mother-of-three Chowdry, of Sutton Road, Walsall, previously pleaded guilty to dishonestly making false representations to obtain benefits.
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