Conman who stole £845k from OAP couple is jailed

A FRAUDSTER who posed as a policeman to con a couple in their 70s out of £845,000 has been jailed.

Mohammed Arshad Ajmal, 39, left the couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, with £187 in savings after an “elaborate” phone scam.

The couple, of Bournemouth, Dorset, also face a £221,000 income tax bill as they breached tax laws. “DS Richard Clements BANK SCAM Fraudster Ajmal from Westminster Police” contacted them last August. He said their bank details had been stolen and they should move money to a “safe” account and convert cash into gold bullion – arranging collections by a courier. Judge Brian Forster jailed “heartless” Ajmal, of Ilford, Essex, for eight years after he admitted fraud and money laundering. Bournemouth crown court heard the couple’s bank paid back about half of the cash lost.