Fake detective conned woman out of gold worth £1.5m

A man who posed as a detective and convinced a woman to buy more than £1m worth of gold bullion to provide evidence in an investigation has been jailed.

For several months, Foysol Ahmed, from Mackenzie Road in Islington, London, called the victim, gained her trust and eventually defrauded her out of nearly £1.5m.

The woman, who lives in Gloucestershire, told the court she was vulnerable because her husband had recently died, adding: "My life has been ruined by these events."

Ahmed, 37, admitted five counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced to eight years in prison at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday.

The gold has not been recovered and Ahmed will also face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing and Criminal Behaviour Order application.

The other suspects involved in the scam have not been identified by police.

The court heard the scam began with the woman receiving a call, supposedly from her bank, reporting fraudulent activity on her account and informing her the police would be in touch.

She was then called by a woman claiming to be from the fraud investigation team in London who asked the victim if she would be willing to assist the police with "a very secret investigation".

The victim agreed and was told a gold bullion company in London was selling fake gold and that she would need to purchase some gold, which would be collected and used as evidence.

The court heard the woman was targeted by Ahmed between 31 October 2025 and 28 April 2026, with the defendant calling himself Det Insp Walden from the fraud team.

Ahmed is believed to have made a "vast number of calls" to the woman, sometimes multiple times a day, from various devices, including on the morning of the day of his arrest, police said.

The court heard his daily calls would check on the woman's welfare and she would buy the gold a bit at a time.

He also advised her to take out a loan for £700,000 but she refused.

The victim eventually contacted police and she even received a call from Ahmed while officers were with her, where he discussed buying a house in "their" name.

He was arrested in London in April, after surveillance officers caught him making a phone call to the woman.

Ahmed was charged with five counts of committing fraud by making a false representation intending to cause loss to another or expose that person to risk of loss.

In June, he pleaded guilty to three out of the five counts and was due to stand trial before admitted to the two outstanding counts in September.

Gloucestershire Police said Ahmed played a key role, communicating directly with the victim and making similar calls to individuals across the country.

Det Insp Matt Dill said: "Other members of the criminal network were responsible for collecting and laundering the proceeds, operating as part of a coordinated and well-rehearsed fraud."

In a recorded video, the victim said she had twice planned to take her own life.

"What is the point of carrying on?" she said. "Because of the money they've taken from me I've had to reconsider my future going forward."

She said she was angry and hopes he does not "get a share of that gold" after his release, adding: "Every day is a struggle."

"I don't want him to think he's got under my skin but he's well under my skin," she said. "It's like dirt and you want to wash yourself all the time because it's something that's disgusting.”

Dill said: "The consequences for the victim have been devastating, not only in terms of financial loss but also the lasting emotional and psychological harm that has followed. Her impactful Victim Personal Statement is harrowing and shows just how much Ahmed's actions have changed her life.

"I would like to say how much I admire the victim for her strength, courage and bravery in telling us what had happened and supporting our investigation to help secure justice.”

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