Conman took OAPs’ home and savings
ACONMAN who posed as a bank employee to defraud an elderly couple suffering from dementia out of their home and £150,000 life savings has been jailed.
Syed Bukhari, formerly of Accrington, used the money to fly first class and business class trips to Dubai and Pakistan and spent thousands of pounds on Rolex watches, jewellery, designer clothes, bags, phones and a cosmetic procedure to have a wig fitted, police said.
The 38-year-old was arrested on a flight from Manchester Airport by police officers and was found to be in possession of the couple’s identity documents and fraudulent accounts.
Bukhari, now of Withington, Manchester, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to 13 fraud offences and was jailed for seven years and 11 months after a six-day trial of issue hearing.
Speaking after the sentencing, Det Sgt Janette Bashall from Lancashire’s Economic Crime Unit said: “Bukhari is a callous, deeply manipulative and heartless liar who saw fit to take over the lives of an innocent, vulnerable elderly cou- ple. They had worked hard all their lives to be able to retire in some comfort yet he saw to destroy this by taking their home and hard earned savings, defrauding them of in excess of £350,000, most of which has been spent and not recovered.”
Police said an investigation was launched in January this year after it was discovered a house belonging to the married Preston couple, 81 and 83, had been sold without their knowledge.
Numerous bank accounts and credit cards had also been taken out in their name.
Lancashire Police said Bukhari, operating under the name Gerry Patel, withdrew more than £150,000 of their life savings while purporting to be their son or a bank employee helping them.
Ten different bank accounts and credit cards in the victim’s names were fraudulently opened and their mail and phone lines were also redirected.
Police said the couple had been driven round various banks by Bukhari to open new accounts or reactivate frozen ones, all the while believing that ‘Gerry from the bank’ was helping to save them from losing their home.
It was also found that their house where they had lived for 40 years had been sold without their knowledge for less than the market value.
A proceeds of crime hearing will take place next year to recover the stolen funds.