Arabic version: سجن رجل من ريفرلاند بتهمة احتيال ببطاقات ائتمان في بَنِنغز
According to ABC News, Riverland man Aijaypal Tim Sanghera, 38, has been jailed after using stolen credit card information, likely obtained from the dark web, to buy almost $16,000 in Bunnings merchandise and gift cards.
Sanghera appeared by video link in the Berri Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of dishonest dealing with property, one count of possessing a prohibited weapon and one count of possessing a prescription drug. He was sentenced to four months in prison and a two-month good behaviour bond.
The court heard Sanghera made 11 click-and-collect orders over five weeks between April and May 2026. The orders covered 98 items from Bunnings stores in Berri, Parafield Gardens and Edwardstown. Twenty of the items were $500 Bunnings gift cards, all linked to his Bunnings PowerPass account.
Police prosecutors said the total loss across the 11 transactions was $15,899.65, though credit card companies reversed the transactions so individual cardholders were not at a loss. Some purchased items were found during a June 10 search of Sanghera’s residence, leaving Bunnings with an uncompensated loss of $14,592. Police also found less than a gram of methamphetamine, three ice pipes and a dagger.
Defence lawyer Craig Caldicott said Sanghera had a difficult upbringing that had fuelled a drug addiction, and argued that a lengthy prison term would not address the underlying problem. Magistrate Jay Pandya described the offending as “deliberate and relentless” and said protecting the community was paramount. She accepted Sanghera’s guilty plea, responsibility and remorse.
