A man and a woman have been charged in Abbotsford with defrauding a cellphone company of almost $900,000.
Sgt. Paul Walker, media officer with the Abbotsford Police Department, said police were notified in October 2023 of possible fraudulent activity involving two employees of a cellular store in the 2800 block of Gladwin Road.
Walker said the investigation by the major crime unit revealed that hundreds of fake cellular accounts had been created from June to October 2023.
“Numerous unpaid phones were (allegedly) taken and sold by these employees for personal gain,” he said.
“The investigation determined that the employees (allegedly) exploited their knowledge of the company’s practices to carry out these frauds, which totalled over $891,000 in losses to the company.”
Walker said he could not reveal more details of the case, as it is now before the courts.
Simran Sachdeva, 26, and Hirday Malhotra, 25, have each been charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000.
Sachdeva has been additionally charged with three more counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of trafficking in identity information.
Walker said Hirday currently has an outstanding warrant for his arrest and is believed to have left the country.
Neither accused has prior criminal charges, according to the provincial court database.
