Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Banker who faked terminal cancer as part of £1.8million scam jailed for six years

Rajesh Ghedia, 42, was dubbed by court a “persistent fraudster and liarâ€� who left his victims “scarred”

Banker who faked terminal cancer as part of £1.8million scam  jailed for six years

A former banker in Surrey who faked terminal pancreatic cancer as part of a series of scams worth £1.8 million has been jailed for six years and nine months, the City of London Police said on Friday (17).

Rajesh Ghedia, 42, of Parkside, New Haw, Addlestone, defrauded multiple insurance and pension companies out of over £1.3m by feigning that he had stage four pancreatic cancer and less than a year to live.


He also exploited his role at a well-known investment bank to convince friends, family and acquaintances to invest in financial products that did not exist. Victims had transferred nearly £625,000 directly into his personal account, Southwark Crown Court heard.

In an earlier hearing, Ghedia admitted more than 30 counts of fraud at an earlier hearing.

Judge Deborah Taylor told him he was a persistent fraudster who caused victims devastation and had left them scarred. The court was told Ghedia faked medical letters from a consultant to claim insurance.

According to the police, he made fraudulent claims about his Bank of America position to encourage people, including a cousin, to invest in non-existent products with the company and Goldman Sachs. 

Ghedia had also falsely claimed his daughter had been killed in a car crash to avoid communicating with victims, the court was told.

Prosecuting, Jack Talbot said Ghedia had "high value" property and vehicles, privately-educated his children, and lived a "lavish lifestyle".

Police said that Ghedia will now be subject to confiscation proceedings. The City of London Police’s asset recovery team will seek to ensure that the funds illicitly acquired are recovered.

Detective constable Daniel Weller, from the City of London Police, said: “It is both disturbing and despicable that Ghedia exploited systems which are set up to help those who are terminally ill - not to line the pockets of greedy fraudsters. Ghedia shows no sign of having a moral compass. Hopefully some time behind bars will give him the opportunity to find one.”

Detective constable Simon Andrews, from Fraud Operations at the City of London Police, said: “Investment fraudsters often hide behind social media profiles or target complete strangers. Ghedia was far more brazen than this, presenting himself in person to acquaintances as a senior trader at one of the world’s biggest investments banks. Personal relationships were also not a boundary for Ghedia’s crimes, as he even went to the extreme of deceiving his own relative for financial gain.

“Today’s result hopefully provides some form of redress for the many people impacted by this fraudster’s reckless actions.”

More For You

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

Officials greet newly-elected Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government Sushila Karki (R) as she arrives at the prime minister's office in Kathmandu on September 14, 2025. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

NEPAL’s new interim prime minister Sushila Karki on Sunday (14) pledged to act on protesters’ calls to end corruption and restore trust in government, as the country struggles with the aftermath of its worst political unrest in decades.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first address to the nation since taking office on Friday (12). “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrive at Trump International Golf Links on July 28, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

THE British government has announced over £1.25 billion ($1.69bn) in fresh investment from major US financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by president Donald Trump.

The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

Protesters wave Union Jack and St George's England flags during the "Unite The Kingdom" rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

MORE THAN 100,000 protesters marched through central London on Saturday (13), carrying flags of England and Britain and scuffling with police in one of the UK's biggest right-wing demonstrations of modern times.

London's Metropolitan Police said the "Unite the Kingdom" march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, was attended by nearly 150,000 people, who were kept apart from a "Stand Up to Racism" counter-protest attended by around 5,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. (Representational image: iStock)

Woman raped in racially aggravated attack in Oldbury

A WOMAN in her 20s was raped in Oldbury in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. Officers said the men made a racist remark during the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less