The director of a Bradford mail order company will appear in court on Monday, charged with defrauding Royal Mail out of more than £668,000.

Mohammed Arslan Naveed, 31, of Wilmer Drive, in Heaton, Bradford, was charged following a joint operation between Royal Mail and West Yorkshire Police lasting almost a year.

Naveed, who is director of Manningham-based household store Sovitech LTD, has been accused of falsely claiming he had fully paid for Royal Mail services over a two-year period. He is due to make his first appearance at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon charged with fraud by false representation.

A regular company check by Royal Mail last year allegedly revealed “irregularities” in postage figures at Sovitech, on Manningham Lane. They then contacted local police and Naveed was arrested on February 28. An investigation followed, and earlier this month he was charged with fraud.

It is alleged that between April 30, 2011 and March 1, 2013 he “dishonestly made false representations”.

The charge describes the nature of the allegation: “Namely that you had paid or intended to pay full postal services provided by Royal Mail Group Limited when you had not, intending thereby to make a gain for yourself or another or to expose Royal Mail Group Limited to a risk of loss of £668,175.61.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail noticed irregularities in the postage coming from Mr Naveed’s company which was picked up during one of our regular revenue protection checks. We investigated the matter with the assistance of West Yorkshire Police.

“Royal Mail takes crime against its business very seriously.”

A spokesman for the Manningham Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Over the last 12 months, officers have been assisting the Royal Mail with an investigation into fraudulent use of Royal Mail services. From the investigations a male has been charged with high value fraud.”

Mr Naveed said he could not comment on the case when contacted yesterday.