A female fraudster has been convicted after she fooled hotel staff into packing up and handing over £80,000 of property belonging to one of their guests.
Anisha Anwar 35, from Harrow Road (London) pleaded guilty in December to fraud by falsification at Wood Green Crown Court.
Anwar called Hackney’s hotel a few times on the afternoon of October 8. He pretended that he was one of their guests.
According to her, they were in a crisis of family relationships and had to move urgently.
Anisha Anwar (pictured), 35-year-old from Harrow Road, London, has pleaded guilty at Wood Green Crown Court on December 15.
Anwar was so convincing that staff agreed to pack their belongings worth more than £80,000, including a number of luxury brand items.
A licensed mini-cab was hired to pick up the bags, and then take them to Maryland Railway Station. There an associate was waiting.
The thieves were reported to the police by the guests who returned to the hotel the day after the incident.
Detectives launched an investigation and were able to follow the cab’s movements and identify the driver.
The man told the officers the location he left the bags. He also described the character of the man who was still waiting.
The phone records gave officers the mobile number used by the officer to make calls.
Advanced forensic methods were used to connect the phone to Anwar (a well-known fraudster).
On November 11, she was charged with a second offense.
The bags were collected by a minicab licensed to transport them to Maryland Railway Station, where an associate was waiting.
From the Central East BCU Detective Sergeant Ian Cleghorn stated that Anisha Anwar had a history of fraud, and that this most recent offence was really audacious.
‘She managed to fool the staff into handing over property – estimated at more than £80,000 – that did not belong to her.
However, her overconfidence was the downfall of her as the phone that she used to perpetrate her crime was located where she was.
“I want to thank my team for their hard work during this investigation. It was a great effort to locate the car and find the driver. We are going to use all technology and methods to help us.
Her sentence will take place on January 13, 2022.
The investigation into the identity of the bag-collector is ongoing.