A Wembley shop owner who evaded £250,000 in tax by importing tonnes of cigarettes and tobacco from India is on the run from prison after he failed to turn up at court.

A warrant has been issued for Kishor Shah's arrest after he did not attend court for his trial in July.

He was convicted by a jury of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of duty, in relation to illegal cigarettes being sold at his shop Paan Parlour, on Ealing Road in Wembley.

Shah, of Elm Road in Wembley , hid some of the stash of cigarettes and tobacco under a vegetable stall at the front of his store.

The 63-year-old claimed to the court he could not attend because he fell ill on a trip to India, but was tried in his absence and jailed for four-and-a-half years on August 3.

Shah and Hitesh Patel, a company director from Hanworth Road, Hounslow, imported shipping containers loaded with cigarettes and tobacco from Mumbai.

Kishor Shah (left) was sentenced to four and-half years and Hitesh Patel (right) was given two and-a-half years

The pair were rumbled when a sniffer dog found tobacco in lock-ups in Alperton Lane, Greenford, on July 19, 2016.

They were both arrested by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers after driving to the scene in a white Ford Transit van.

A total of 44,500 cigarettes and 746kg of chewing tobacco were discovered in the lock-up during the search and Shah later led officers to his shop where 1,260 smuggled cigarettes were found.

Two large batches were also seized by the Border Force as they came through Felixstowe the month before - containing 200kg of snuff tobacco, 160kg of raw tobacco and 180kg of chewing tobacco.

Footage shows the two men transporting boxes of chewing tobacco

A further 1.7 tonnes of chewing tobacco was found at another lock-up on the North Circular Road, Stonebridge Park, on July 22, 2016.

Patel had paperwork relating to the shipments at his business, Narayan Foods Ltd in Johnson Street, Southall.

Simon Kiefer, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: " Criminals like Shah create an uneven playing field for legitimate businesses and put a burden on the honest majority.

"He thought his crime would go undetected but he was wrong.

"He evaded tax. Now he’s trying to evade justice and we need the help of the public to track him down so that he can begin his prison sentence.

Some of the illegal tobacco products the duo imported from Mumai, India

"HMRC will continue to crack down on tax cheats who think stealing from the public is a legitimate way to do business.

"If you know of anyone committing tobacco fraud you can report them by calling our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887."

Shah was convicted and sentenced in his absence on August 3 this year.

He was given four years in jail for smuggling tobacco and received a further six months, to be served consecutively, for offending while serving a suspended sentence for a similar offence.

The location of Shah remains unknown and warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Patel, who did attend the trial, was also convicted of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of duty and jailed for two and-a-half years.

Both men were disqualified from being a director for five years.