TWO set-top box fraudsters have been told to pay back £400,000 or face longer prison sentences.

Imran Khansia, 30, of Livingstone Road, and Rafiq Dudhwala, 27, of Assheton Road, both Blackburn, appeared at a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Preston Crown Court.

Judge Heather Lloyd told them they must pay back £200,000 each from the profits they made selling illegally modified Virgin TV boxes.

If they don’t pay within six months they both face an extra 30 months in prison.

They were part of a gang of four men who were jailed for a total of almost 14 years last March.

The prosecution followed raids at four houses and two industrial units in Blackburn, along with a house in Preston, in April 2008, with 200 set-top boxes seized.

They found that the devices had been illegally modified so they could receive access to paid-for digital TV channels on Virgin Media for free.

At the time, Virgin Media expressed fears that the scam was only ‘the tip of the iceberg’ in East Lancashire.

Earlier this year, Dilawer Dudhwala, 29, of Assheton Road, Blackburn, was told to pay Virgin £65,000 in compensation and Salim Zinga, 41, of Duchy Avenue, Preston, was told to repay £105,000.

John White, Virgin Media’s head of group security, said: “Virgin Media’s dedicated security team worked closely with police forces and forensic teams in Lancashire to bring the case of Imran Khansia and Rafiq Dudhwala to court and ensure that the defendants were brought to justice.

“Despite being unlawful to use, the defendants exploited consumers who were misled into spending hundreds of pounds on illegal boxes believing they would be able to access Virgin Media's TV services without subscription.

“In recognition of the seriousness of this crime, both were sentenced to six years imprisonment and must now repay monies to the value of £400,000.

"This case demonstrates that the courts take this type of commercial fraud very seriously and that they will prosecute accordingly.

“This should also act as a serious warning to members of the public to steer clear of selling or purchasing illegal TV or broadband equipment.

“Purchasing unlawful equipment such as this only serves to fund organised crime and we will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals and groups connected with this type of fraud to the full extent of the law.”