A family of fraudsters has been sentenced to jail for preying on vulnerable elderly siblings, defrauding them of over £400,000. Husband and wife Ahmed Shah and Nadia Ishfaq Shah, along with Nadia’s daughter Aysha Ishfaq Shah, orchestrated a scheme that targeted a woman in her 80s and her brother in their 70s, both living alone in Nottingham.
The Shah family initially gained access to the elderly woman’s finances by deceitfully acquiring her bank card. They proceeded to withdraw substantial sums of money for personal use, eventually extending their exploitation to include the woman’s brother after his hospitalization and subsequent death in 2019.
Upon the brother’s death, the Shahs forged a will, falsely naming themselves as beneficiaries of his estate, which included properties and investments totaling more than £950,000. This forgery, which included a thumbprint obtained under deceitful circumstances, allowed the Shahs to divert the estate funds to their own accounts, some of which were used for extravagant purchases and overseas trips to Pakistan.
Detectives from Nottinghamshire Police launched an investigation in 2021 after concerns were raised about the elderly woman’s financial situation. Subsequent inquiries into the authenticity of the will led to raids and the arrest of Ahmed Shah, Nadia Ishfaq Shah, and Aysha Ishfaq Shah.
The trio initially denied their charges but changed their pleas to guilty midway through the trial. At Nottingham Crown Court, Ahmed Shah and Nadia Ishfaq Shah were sentenced to six years in prison each for making a false will and theft, while Aysha Ishfaq Shah received a sentence of one year and seven months for acquiring criminal property.
Detective Constable Stephanie Wood, from Nottinghamshire Police’s money laundering team, emphasized the severity of the Shah family’s actions: “The Shahs cynically exploited their victims’ trust and systematically drained their life savings. Nottinghamshire Police remains committed to pursuing justice in cases of fraud and financial abuse.”
This case highlights the importance of vigilance against financial exploitation of vulnerable individuals and underscores the legal consequences for such predatory behavior.