Council officer must repay £20k for housing fraud

A SHAMED Birmingham council housing officer who pretended to be homeless as she scammed her employer has been ordered to repay £20,000.

Zara Danyaal used fake IDs to blag her way into three council tenancies, denying homes to those in genuine need in the process. She carried out the fraud while working as a senior housing needs officer for Birmingham City Council.

But Danyaal was rumbled when the council began a probe. She was later sacked and in June 2016 jailed for two-and-a-half years at Birmingham Crown Court for one charge relating to social housing fraud and a further six months for two offences relating to job references. Now Danyaal, 38, of Warwick Road, Acocks Green has been ordered to repay £20,000 in compensation to her former employers under a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

Her sister, Samara Malik, 28, of Wetherby Road, Acocks Green, was also involved in the scam and was jailed for ten months for an offence of social housing fraud.

Robert James, director of housing at Birmingham City Council, said: “We welcome this hearing result which recognises the severity of the crime committed.

“The act of fraud prevented several families from being housed and since discovering these actions, Birmingham City Council has been proactive from the start in pursuing and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“The compensation now received will be reinvested by the council to prevent further acts of fraud from being committed.”

Mr James said the authority was committed to protecting the public funds.

“It is imperative that losses from fraud and corruption are, where possible, eradicated to ensure that resources are used to provide essential services for citizens,” he said.

“Our counter fraud team uses sophisticated data analysis to detect fraud and anyone who commits, or attempts to commit, fraudulent or corrupt acts against the council will be held to account in a decisive manner.”