A fraudster is due to be sentenced after tricking hotel staff into handing over property – estimated to be worth more than £80,000 – belonging to guests.
Anisha Anwar, of Harrow Road, E11, called a hotel in Hackney a number of times and pretended to be one of the guests, Wood Green Crown Court heard.
The 35-year-old claimed that they had a family crisis and needed to leave as a matter of urgency.
The court heard she was so convincing that staff agreed to pack their belongings, including a number of luxury brand items.
Anwar arranged for a licensed mini-cab to collect the bags and take them to Maryland Railway Station where an associate was waiting for them.
The guests returned to their room and reported the theft the following morning.
Detectives launched an investigation and were able to follow the cab’s movements and identify the driver.
He told officers where he dropped the bags and gave the description of a man who was waiting for him.
Phone records provided officers with the mobile number that had been used to make the calls. Using advanced forensic methods, officers linked the phone to Anwar, a known fraudster.
She was arrested and later charged on Thursday, 11 November.
Anwar pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation on 15th December 2021 at Wood Green Crown Court.
She will be sentenced on Thursday, 13 January 2022.
Detective Sergeant Ian Cleghorn, from the Central East BCU, said: “Anisha Anwar has a history of committing fraud, and this latest offence was truly 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 inflated confidence proved to be her downfall, as the mobile phone she used to commit her crime was found where she was living.
“I would like to praise the work of my team throughout this investigation. The efforts taken to trace the cab and track the mobile show that we will use every method and technology available to us.”
https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/19789028.east-london-fraudster-sentenced-tricking-hotel-staff/
