Today saw the sentencing of Abdul and Shahista Mohammed, a husband and wife, who defrauded members of the local Asian community out of thousands of pounds. Abdul was sentenced to 4 years inprisonment, and Shahista 18 months.
Mr and Mrs Mohammed live in Stockport, with their three children, and are both unemployed, but at the time of their deceptions the Mohammeds lived in Wilmslow.
Over the last four years they have stolen money off acquaintances on the pretence that they were investing it for them. The total amount stolen by the Mohammeds amounted to £454,610. Most of their victims lived in the Manchester area.
The tale began in 2006, when Shahista Mohammed was learning to drive with her instructor Nargis Hanif. Over the course of their lessons Nargis became impressed with the trappings of the Mohammed's wealthy lifestyle. They lived in an expensive detached house in Wilmslow, took regular foreign holidays, and paid for their children to attend public school.
Feeling that she had Nargis' trust, Shahista told her that she and her husband had invested their money into an oil company in the Middle East, and were seeing profit returns between 25 & 50%. Believing this to be a golden opportunity, Nargis gave Shahista a large sum of cash to invest on her behalf.
The deceptions continued when Mohammed Shereen was approached by his friend Robina Saleem. She told him that she was friends with the Mohammeds, and explained the investment opportunity to him. Based on Robina's trust of the Mohammeds, and what appeared to be a golden investment opportunity, Mohammed Shereen gave them £145,600 in cash to invest on his behalf.
In 2006 Robina Saleem, also approached her son, Mohammed Naeem Saleem, telling him about the opportunity with Mr and Mrs Mohammed. With an offer that seemed too good to be true he gave his mother £10,000 to invest.
Jameela Geoffrey put her house on the market in early 2006, and was approached by her friends, the Mohammeds, to invest in the oil market. Having eventually decided to invest, between December 2006 and March 2007 she gave Abdul Mohammed £123,000 in good faith.
The final victim was Jameela's daughter-in-law Robina Bashir, who learned of Jameela's investment, and although she had never met the Mohammeds, decided to invest herself as she trusted her mother-in-law. On 6th March 2007, she transferred £15,000 into Abdul Mohammed's bank account. None of these people ever saw any money returned to them.
Mr and Mrs Mohammed were arrested in early 2008, and over the course of the year that followed were interviewed several times by detectives. They never admitted the offences, denied approaching people with investment opportunities, and explained that the money transferred from Jameela Geoffrey's account, was lent to them.
They claimed that their previously wealthy lifestyle was achieved through buying and selling property, and bank lending. When they were arrested by police, they had moved to more modest living conditions in Stockport, and were in some considerable debt.
On 29th June 2009, both were charged with five counts of theft, and at a previous hearing Abdul Mohammed pleaded guilty to all five counts, and Shahista pleaded guilty to theft from Nargis Hanif. The other indictments against Shahista were discontinued.
Following today's proceedings, Detective Constable Charlotte Astbury, who investigated the case said "Abdul and Shahista Mohammed preyed on the trust and good nature of their victims. They saw an opportunity and with no thought for the welfare or lifestyles of others, took advantage in order to try and solve their own financial difficulties.
"This was a selfish and criminal act which left their victims in a financial nightmare. I hope this sentence offers them some degree of closure to what must have been a traumatic few years, and would like to thank them for their coooperation with the police in the case."
DC Craig Lindfield, who worked on the case with DC Astbury said 'I would also urge anyone else who may have fallen foul of the Mohammeds, or others like them, to come forward and speak with us. There is nothing to be embarassed about, and we will help you."
