Family in the East Midlands jailed for conning a vulnerable brother and sister out of hundreds of thousands of pounds
They withdrew large amounts of her cash to spend on themselves
A family of cruel fraudsters who conned a vulnerable brother and sister out of hundreds of thousands of pounds have been put behind bars.
Husband and wife Ahmed Shah and Nadia Ishfaq Shah, and Nadia’s daughter Aysha Ishfaq Shah, first tricked a woman aged in her 80s into handing over her bank card before taking complete control over her finances.
They withdrew large amounts of her cash to spend on themselves before moving on to target the woman’s brother, who was aged in his 70s and also lived alone.
When the man died in 2019 the will submitted to probate left his entire estate to his sister and Aysha Ishfaq Shah.
A police investigation discovered this document was a forgery and the three offenders had received £411,836.98 in total from the two victims, who have both now died.
They used a thumbprint from the man on the will – which can only have been obtained when they visited his body in a funeral home.
In 2014, Aysha Ishfaq Shah began working for a care agency in Nottingham which provided care for one of the victims at her home in a bungalow in Wollaton, Nottingham.
The victim was wealthy but frail and lived alone, with her brother being the only member of her family she was in contact with.
Aysha Ishfaq Shah introduced the woman to Ahmed and Nadia and the family gradually took over both her care and finances.
From 2018 to 19 large amounts of cash began to be withdrawn from the woman’s bank accounts. Up to £500 was taken out on successive days, something the victim had never done previously.
When the woman’s brother had a fall and was admitted to hospital in May 2019 the trio saw a further opportunity.
Nadia and Ahmed forged a will in the man’s name, making themselves the executors and Aysha a beneficiary of it.
The document included a forged signature and an inked thumbprint.
Investigations revealed the document was only created a week before the man died and not prior to his fall as it claimed.
Detectives believe the thumbprint was added because the Shahs were concerned the signature would be challenged – and this can only have been added after his death when they visited his body at the funeral home.
The man had two properties and additional investments worth more than £950,000. None went to his sister and instead ended up in the Shah family’s bank accounts.
They used the funds to buy items and travelled to Pakistan where some of it was withdrawn in cash.
Detectives began an investigation in 2021 after concerns were raised about the original victim’s finances.
Further investigations into the validity of the man’s will then led to a series of raids and the arrest of the three members of the Shah family.
The trio continued to deny their offending and took the case to a trial – only changing their pleas to guilty midway through the proceedings.
On Monday (19 May) they were in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing.
Ahmed Shah, aged 47, of Cockington Road, Nottingham, was jailed for six years after admitting making a false will and two counts of theft.
Aysha Ishfaq Shah, aged 28, of Normanton Road, Derby, was jailed for one year and seven months after pleading guilty to acquiring criminal property.
Nadia Ishfaq Shah, aged 59, of Cockington Road, Nottingham, was jailed for six years after admitting making a false will and fraud by false representation.
Detective Constable Stephanie Wood, of the force’s money laundering team, said:
“Both our victims were ideal targets to be exploited and that is exactly what the Shah family did.
“The Shahs pretended to be friends of the woman while systematically stripping away her life savings and going on to target her brother.
“Their behaviour was cruel, betraying the trust of the first victim and taking advantage of the second victim’s admission to hospital and death.
“The original victim has now also sadly passed away having been exploited by the Shah family for the final years of her life.
“I hope all three offenders now reflect on their actions and the way they exploited two people who deserved better.
“They cynically abused the position of trust they had been placed in by the two victims.
“This case is a reminder that Nottinghamshire Police takes fraud and financial abuse extremely seriously and will take robust action against those who commit such offences.
“We are more than willing to devote hours of meticulous detective work to ensure they are brought to justice.”