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Editorial & Opinion on creationism, feminism and cream teas PAGES 6-7
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Sport talk with Cardiff’s student boxing sensation Joe Hyton PAGE 34
EXCLUSIVE
CON MAN TARGETS CARDIFF MUSLIMS
PHOTOS: Graeme Porteous
SEE WHEN ON PAGE 3
ISSUE 810 March 20 2006
CARDIFF’S STUDENT WEEKLY free word - EST. 1972
CAR: Blue Vectra
Victims tricked into handing over cash by fraudster’s sob story By Dan Ridler News Editor
UNION ELECTIONS
CAST YOUR VOTES NOW
MUSLIMS IN CARDIFF are being targeted by a fraudster preying on their generous faith to extort money from unsuspecting by-passers. The con man, who claims to be a Muslim himself and goes by the name of Salim, is described as Arabic in appearance, with dark hair and eyes, slightly chubby with grey hair and estimated to be in his early forties. He has approached several students in a blue Vauxhall Vectra, tending to approach individual males, and is believed to operate at all times of day. His opening gambit to his potential victims is to ask them their faith; as he pulls up alongside a target he calls out of the window “Muslim, brother?”
It is then that he proceeds to try to lure his target into giving him money. Claiming he is from London and cannot afford to get back, he asks the well-intentioned mark to lend as much as they can spare to aid his plight. As a show of supposed trust he offers them an out-dated phone and the fascia of his car stereo, both virtually worthless by themselves. While nobody has accepted these offers, it has persuaded several generous victims of the severity of his fictional situation, who have then gone on to give the man their money. It seems, however, that he is not returning to London, but that he pockets the cash and continues to hunt for other innocent victims for his fraud. The man has come to public attention after Behroze Savul, a
final year electrical engineering student, was approached twice by him in two weeks. The first time he was approached on Salisbury Road Mr Savul gave the man £20 to help him with his alleged trip home. By the second time however, Mr Savul recognised the fraudster. He recounts: “I shouted at him ‘I know you’ and he just changed the subject and raced off.” “He was a very good actor. He spoke English but he couldn’t communicate very well and he had a definite Arab twang to his accent.” Mr Saval was not the only person to be tricked by the fraudster: several people have been caught by his scam in the last few weeks, including Cardiff University accountancy graduate Amran Iqbal.
Story continued on Page 2
ATM: Getting cash