When Mohammed Rahman, Muhammed Maarjan, Muhammed Hussain, and Shoriful Islam appeared at Bristol Crown Court, they were sentenced.
At an earlier hearing, the four had pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit fraud by false representation. Rahman, Maarjan, and Islam all admitted to having criminal property in their possession.
Prior to their arrest in April of last year, the gang had called hundreds of potential victims across the country, focusing on one region for a few days before moving on to the next.
Once they had located a victim, the offenders patiently relayed a convincingly disturbing story of a fraud investigation that had discovered counterfeit currency being transferred into their bank accounts. They were encouraged to go immediately and withdraw thousands of pounds from their accounts in order to hand it over to a “courier” sent by “the police.
They defrauded at least 60 vulnerable victims out of more than £290,000 between January and April 2021, and attempted to contact many thousands more, making around 7,000 calls to potential victims.
The victims were mostly over the age of 75, with two being 99. Some were terminally ill, others had dementia or other age-related issues. Many victims have not been able to recover from their losses.
After discovering a victim in Cirencester, officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit began investigating the gang.
The team collaborated with 20 other forces across the country to identify additional victims and gather evidence, as well as with the City of London Police, which is the national lead on courier fraud.
On 6 April 2021, a warrant was executed at a property in Theberton Street, London, following intensive work by officers across Gloucestershire Constabulary.
When gang members attempted to flee through an upstairs window, officers pursued them across the rooftops, eventually apprehending and arresting Hussain, Maarjan, Rahman, and Islam.
Officers seized cash, expensive designer clothing, Rolex watches, a Mercedes Benz, and an Audi during subsequent searches.
Rahman, 27, of Islington’s Leirum Street, was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud and two years in prison for possession of criminal property, both to run concurrently.
Islam, 24, of Highbury New Park, Islington, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud and two years in prison for possession of criminal property.
Hussain, 24, of Islington’s Collier Street, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud.
Maarjan, 23, of James Morgan Mews, Islington, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud and two years in prison for possession of criminal property, both to run concurrently.
“Each of you were fully aware of the scale of the operation you were involved in, and you were additionally aware of the basis of the fraud, which was to prey on the trust of the elderly,” Judge Michael Cullum told the men as he sentenced them.
“The fraud relied on recognising and exploiting the elderly’s frailty.”
“You discovered them in their final years. They had every right to have faith in the banks. They had faith in the police, and rightly so.
“You took far more than money from these elderly victims.” They were threatened with losing their life savings if they did not comply, which is exactly what happened.
“At least half of them have not been reimbursed by the banks because they lied at your request.” These were your deceptions.
These victims were intelligent, retired professionals who, understandably, wanted to help the authorities.
“They were humiliated and distressed by the loss of their savings, saying they felt stupid.” They do not. They had been duped.
“I have no doubt that the effect on them has irreversibly changed the way they view life and society.” It will undoubtedly affect them for the rest of their lives.”
“This sentence shows how seriously we take courier fraud,” said Detective Inspector Matt Phillips, who led the investigation.
It was the result of many officers at Gloucestershire Constabulary going above and beyond to ensure that we could show just how low these men were willing to stoop in order to defraud the vulnerable and elderly.
“I want any gangs that try to target people in our communities to know that we will not stand by and will actively pursue them for their crimes, not just in Gloucestershire, but throughout the country.”
“Following their arrest last year, no courier fraud was recorded in Gloucestershire for months, and significant reductions were seen across the country, demonstrating that our message is getting through.” We will not stop until you are brought to justice.
“I’d like to thank not only the officers involved in this case, but also the victims and their families for coming forward so bravely.” These men were sophisticated con artists who were able to pull the wool over the eyes of many intelligent people before being apprehended.
This has had a huge impact on many victims, who have not only suffered a significant financial loss, but have also suffered psychological damage, with some being too afraid to answer the phone or even leave their house.
I hope this sentence brings some peace to the men and women who were targeted.
The fraudsters presented themselves in a convincing way to victims, securing the trust of hundreds of elderly people through their falsehoods,” said Kevin Hansford of the CPS. The criminals’ sole goal was to enrich themselves at the expense of vulnerable people who desperately needed their hard-earned savings and pension income.
I’d like to thank the many victims who helped this prosecution, as well as the hardworking officers from Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire Police, who helped us prove the case against this gang’s heinous criminal enterprise.
Kawsar Ahmed and Mohammed Ahmed, two more people, are scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, June 28.
Rahman, Mohammed
Hussain Muhammed
Sharif Islam’s Muhammed Maarjan
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