Brother of Kriss Donald killers admits £600,000 fraud on 60 pensioners

Ahsan Shahid, brother of two men jailed for the racist murder of Kriss Donald, has pleaded guilty to conning 60 elderly victims out of £600,000 alongside two accomplices.

Shahid brother admits role in gang that defrauded 60 pensioners of £600,000

The brother of two of Kriss Donald's killers has pleaded guilty to being part of a sophisticated fraud gang that conned 60 pensioners out of £600,000, bbc.com reports.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how Ahsan Shahid, 41, along with Sean Singh, 21, and Duncan Currie, 42, posed as police officers and bank investigators to swindle elderly victims across central Scotland between October 2022 and November 2024.

Shahid's brothers Imran and Zeeshan Shahid were jailed in 2006 for the racially motivated murder of 15-year-old schoolboy Kriss Donald two years earlier. Imran, also known as Baldy, was the ringleader and received a minimum 25-year sentence; Zeeshan was ordered to serve at least 23 years. A third man, Faisal Mushtaq, was jailed for a minimum of 22 years. The gang abducted Kriss from Pollokshields in Glasgow before stabbing him 13 times, dousing him in petrol and setting him alight — reportedly while he may still have been alive.

How the scam operated

Victims were contacted and told their bank accounts were under threat from fraudsters. The three men obtained counterfeit documents — including a passport and driving licences — and created fake identification to pose as officers from Police Scotland as well as from the Metropolitan and West Yorkshire forces.

Lists of phone numbers belonging to unsuspecting elderly people were compiled, and scripts were prepared to guide the fraudsters through their calls. In addition to cash, the gang managed to obtain Rolex watches, designer clothing, Apple products and an e-bike. They illegally leased premises in East Kilbride and Lanarkshire and hired cars to support the operation.

The offences spanned Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire and Ayrshire, according to a 69-page indictment.

Victims targeted in detail

A charge admitted by both Shahid and Singh described how a 77-year-old woman was told police were investigating unusual activity on her bank account. During repeated contact, someone claiming to be a police officer visited her home, while a supposed "bank employee" collected cash she had been instructed to withdraw.

A member of the gang subsequently approached the Tom Coll jewellery shop in Glasgow's Argyle Arcade, pretending to be the woman's son and enquiring about a £45,000 watch. She was later persuaded to pay £16,500 for a GMT Master II Batman Rolex, which was collected from her home. Shahid and Singh also attempted to order £30,000 of gold bullion in her name and tried to exchange £10,000 for cryptocurrency.

A 79-year-old woman was targeted after being told to place her mobile phone, bank cards and PIN numbers in an envelope for collection by a supposed bank representative. A £21,000 loan was subsequently taken out in her name. The court heard that £10,240 of her funds was spent at the Apple Store in Braehead Shopping Centre near Glasgow, with a further £1,600 at designer clothing outlet Flannels and £1,760 on electrical goods at Currys.

A 77-year-old man was informed he was being watched on CCTV. A charge involving Shahid described how an 83-year-old man was warned his "movements were being monitored" before being directed to a McDonald's in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, where he handed £6,000 to an individual claiming to represent his bank — having been instructed not to contact police. His bank cards were later used in various locations, including the purchase of a £4,895 electric motorbike from Portman Motors in Glasgow's Kinning Park.

Charges and next steps

Shahid admitted 31 charges, Singh 18 charges and Currie 10. All three pleaded guilty to participating with each other and other unnamed individuals in "fraudulent schemes". Not guilty pleas were accepted on a number of other charges involving the three men.

Advocate depute Scott McKenzie asked the court to impose Serious Crime Prevention Orders — also known as super-Asbos — on all three. Lord Renucci told the lawyers involved that he "appreciated the time and effort" taken in "resolving this matter". The men were remanded in custody and will return to court for sentencing at a later date.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)