An elderly Scots millionaire was tricked into buying gold bullion, then had it stolen by an organised crime gang.
Elizabeth St John is now 88 years old. Someone pretending to be from the FCA targeted her at her home in the Borders area.
A gangster called “Garry Reid” fooled her by saying her money was at risk, and then tricked her into buying gold bullion. The gold was delivered to her house in Skirling, near Biggar.
Others, pretending to be “couriers,” collected it. She even thanked Reid for his help. The gold wasn’t stored safely; instead, they took it to London, then moved it somewhere else.
Police started Operation Tailpiece, which led to three arrests: Sunil Theyath, Hafeeza Samreen, and Umar Mohammed. Reid has not been found yet, and reportedly “manipulated” the woman, keeping in regular contact with her.
Theyath, age 40, told others to get the gold, including Mohammed (40) and Samreen (35), who pretended to be couriers. Theyath went back to India around this point. Samreen admitted after her arrest to taking £1000 per gold collection. She worked with Mohammed, her husband.
The High Court heard that Mohammed has another wife who lives in India. Theyath admitted to directing others in organized crime, and Mohammed and Samreen admitted involvement in organized crime.
Lord Harrower postponed sentencing pending reports.