TWO men were due to appear before magistrates in Burnley today after being charged as part of a police operation into the alleged exploitation of the Data Protection Act.
Mohammed Khatana, 43, of Nelson, is charged with conspiracy to obtain money by deception along with James Stuart, 53, of the West Midlands who will also appear. Both men also face money laundering charges. The two men were among four people, including two others from Nelson, who were detained after police searched 12 homes and businesses across the country yesterday. Stuart was arrested in Solihull. Six addresses in Nelson were searched along with one in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, two in Sheffield, two in Rochdale and one in the West Midlands.
The other two, a man and a woman, have been questioned by police and released on bail until September pending further inquiries.
Detective Inspector Steve Pemberton co-ordinated Operation Hera, which involved around 30 officers. He said: "The arrests were part of our investigation into the alleged exploitation by some individuals regarding the Data Protection Act.
"The investigation was launched after complaints from businesses, who had paid the suspected perpetrators to register them with the Data Protection Agency."
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