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Amazing story of landlord dynasty convicted of benefits fraud

Members of a wealthy Blackburn family of landlords with a portfolio of properties have been sentenced for defrauding the Department for Work and Pensions of thousands of pounds.

Khalida Zarif was jailed for 12 months and her son Sakib Zarif was given 15 months for conspiracy to defraud. 

Sakib Zarif’s sentence also includes a count of theft, as well as another conspiracy to defraud offence, which relate to him fraudulently using a motability vehicle belonging to one of his tenants and the theft of another tenant’s benefits, after he had died.

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Two other family members are also implicated. 

Faisal Zarif was handed a 20 week sentence suspended for one year and Atif Zarif was given a 12 month community order for their part in the conspiracy, as they claimed to act as carers for either their mother Khalida or their brother, Sakib, due to medical conditions they were seen to be no longer suffering from.

They each previously pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing in January.

A joint investigation between Lancashire Constabulary and the DWP started in February 2019 after concerns were raised about the potential exploitation of some of the Zarifs’ tenants.

The family, who live together in Blackburn, own a portfolio of properties in the Blackburn area, and according to a police statement “each drove expensive, high performance cars such as BMWs or Mercedes Benzes.”

Detectives found that Sakib Zarif played a key role in the conspiracy and he, along with his mother Khalida, grossly exaggerated illnesses and disabilities to claim associated benefits.

When applying for disability payments in August 2016 and in April 2019, Sakib claimed that following an assault in 2015 in which he was the victim, he had been left unable to prepare meals for himself and had to eat blended food through a straw; was not motivated to take care of himself or his personal hygiene; had lost all pride in his appearance; needed prompting to clean himself or change his clothes; relied on his parents to help him; thought everyone outside his house wanted to cause him harm; lacked confidence communicating with people and felt much physical pain, particularly in his left arm which also had reduced capacity meaning he could not use cutlery to eat. Such was the so-called damage to his left arm, he said he was unable to drive or remove medication from blister packs.

The police statement says, however: “This was in sharp contrast to his muscular appearance and behaviour witnessed during the investigation in 2019, such as carrying a child with his left arm, taking part in an arm-wrestling competition, regularly driving, exercising in the gym - again, with his left arm - and dancing. His blatant dishonesty led to him being overpaid £13,502 by the DWP.”

On 2 July 2018, a £37,000 BMW 320 car was delivered which was in the name of one of the families’ tenants. The tenant had got this whilst legally claiming disability benefits as part of the motability scheme. 

A £2,749 down payment had been made on the car in May 2018 and it was found that Sakib Zarif regularly drove it. Police believe that the true owner of the vehicle never drove it.

 

The police investigation also revealed that in October 2018, one of Sakib Zarif’s tenants died but someone continued to withdraw the man’s benefits, with Sakib’s vehicle being seen in the vicinity of the cashpoints where the money was taken from.

The man’s PIN code was found in Sakib’s phone when it was seized by police. Officers informed the DWP who stopped the benefit payments. In total, over £1,650 had been taken from the dead man’s bank account.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

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    This kind of benefit fraud is wide spread, and the miss use of motability vehicles, councils and DWP know about it yet in most cases chose to do nothing .

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    Whole sale Disability Fraud + Cars & Badges its Mammoth. I see it all the time in car parks, in a road near me she's on her 4th New free Car, she used to be 20 st so she had a couple then, then NHS gastric band so not over weight anymore but her Mother becomes that age in the mean time so she now has it for her although never seen her drive her anywhere, nice Detached House probably £1.4m and another one let, that's all I say about it, she's not the only one.

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    I've just counted 16 mentions of the non-English names of the offenders and others in this article. Including a number of repeat mentions of certain names. I really do hope there is no racist agenda to the article.
    Also - I completely fail to see the relevance of stating that the offenders are 'wealthy' (top line) and having 'expensive high-performance cars'. What is the writer of this article trying to imply?

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    They are facts so merit reporting.

     
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    Tell it as it is David, there's no other way is there ??

     
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    Take things as you find them the old saying goes and for very good reasons.

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    If the council was making the prosecution they would have gone for a charging order against assets.
    All fraud should result in prison sentence & if no British citizenship then deport

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    The sentences were paltry.
    Whilst I applaud the conviction of Anyone committing crime, it would be appropriate if Police investigated a few more complaints against tenants !

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    Where a tenant is paid housing benefit then uses it other than paying their rent then this must be fraud surely .

     
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    Totally agree, Andrew.

    In the only case where I had to evict a rent dodger who pocketed his housing benefits, the guy actually told me it was HIS money and he could spend it as he liked.

    I told him it was my property and I could choose who stayed in it, and when they should leave. Unfortunately the SNP have now removed my right to decide when tenants go but this was accompanied by a 30% rent increase, so not all bad news, apart from for all decent tenants now picking up the tab!

     
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    • 08 December 2020 14:42 PM

    I would suggest too, that if it is fraud (which it is) that it also be considered a criminal offence, and hence subject to a custodial sentence, and the names be out on a nationwide database.

    It is thieving from every single taxpayer in the country.

    FULL STOP

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    Paltry sentences. There should have been a charge against their assets.

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