All six members of a Bulgarian gang were found guilty of benefits fraud by a court in Rotterdam on Tuesday and were given custodial sentences.

The fraud came to light in April 2013 in an investigation carried out by RTL news. It discovered that gangs of Bulgarians were sending foreign nationals to Rotterdam to write non-existent people into council registers and then claim housing and healthcare benefits on their behalf.

The claims amounted to €10m, of which €5.6m was paid out.

Gang leader Mehmet K was given a four-year prison sentence. The 41-year-old Turkish-Netherlander is currently on the run after being allowed out on bail. It is thought he may be in Turkey.

The other five men, all from Bulgaria, were given sentences ranging from 18 months to three years. The public prosecutor had requested a sentence of three years for all of them.