Pakistani jailed for posing as wife, faking death in £1m insurance scam

A British-Pakistani man was jailed after United Kingdom authorities caught him posing as his wife and faking his own death for a £1-million insurance scam.

According to London Police's insurance fraud department (IFED), Syed Bukhari, 39, "impersonated his female partner on the phone to try and fake his own death", claiming that he had passed away following a heart attack in Karachi.

To try and progress his claim, he "also used a bogus death certificate", as well as a medical certificate mentioning the cause of death and a trust document.

The London Police added that he "had initially contacted his insurance company via email purporting to be his partner, claiming that he’d died from a heart attack in Karachi, Pakistan".

Interestingly, Bukhari was already serving a seven-year jail sentence for other fraud charges. He was convicted of the latest insurance scam on Friday in the UK's Inner London Crown Court and sentenced to five years and seven months in prison. 

Voice recognised, fingerprints matched

The lead investigator, Acting Detective Sergeant Mike Monkton, said: “Not only did Bukhari try and fake his own death and steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from his insurer, he was also brazen enough to impersonate his partner in a bid to progress his claim.

“If he’d been successful, he would’ve benefited up to the sum of £999,999," Monkton added.

Investigators also discovered that there was no record of Bukhari being buried in the cemetery, the medical centre where he allegedly died did not exist, and a doctor from another hospital nearby said he never heard of such a facility.

The British-Pakistani man was caught after a voice analysis expert tallied his voice and his fingerprints were found on the documents he submitted, coupled with the aforementioned evidence.

'Cosmetic procedure to cover up his bald patch'

Bukhari, regardless, denied the fraud and blamed it on his own partner. However, he later pleaded guilty at court.

According to Sputnik, on the other hand, Bukhari is a serial fraudster as he previously defrauded a couple, aged 80 and 81 and suffering from dementia. He had "tricked them into transferring £150,000 into his bank account to apply for loans" and "sold their house without their knowledge".

The publication added that he spent money obtained by defrauding the old couple Bukhari on six trips to the UAE and Pakistan, "travelling first class and spending £11,000 on a hotel stay in Dubai", as well as "on Rolex watches, jewellery and designer clothes" and "a cosmetic procedure to cover up his bald patch".