A Bradford man who stole a tenant’s identity to fraudulently secure Covid-19 business loans has been ordered to repay £123,000 following a Proceeds of Crime hearing.
Shohid Ahmed, 41, of Bardsey Crescent, was jailed for two years last year after admitting five counts of Covid-related fraud. He has now been given three months to repay the money, plus £6,000 in costs, or face an additional 15 months in prison.
The court previously heard how Ahmed exploited the Government’s Bounce Back Loan scheme at the height of the pandemic in 2020. He applied for three maximum-value loans totalling £150,000 through Red Square Restaurants Limited, receiving £100,000. In the years since, he has repaid just £15,000.
In a bid to conceal the fraud, Ahmed used his wife’s details to make the applications due to her stronger credit history. He also falsely named an innocent woman, one of his father’s tenants, as a company director, using personal information she had provided when renting a property, including passport details.
At sentencing in May 2025, Judge Sophie McKone described Ahmed’s actions as “callous” and “cynical”, highlighting how he “took advantage of a scheme designed to help businesses” at a time when public finances were under severe strain.
A victim impact statement revealed the woman suffered anxiety after discovering her identity had been misused.
Ahmed also submitted a fabricated invoice claiming £15,000 had been spent refurbishing the business, which traded as Ruby’s Lounge in Mirfield. Investigators later found no evidence the company listed on the invoice existed.
Further inconsistencies emerged as Ahmed had previously applied to have the business struck off, stating it had not traded, contradicting his loan applications claiming it was active.
He was disqualified as a company director for 11 years in 2021.
Following the latest hearing, Alexander Grierson, Head of Asset Recovery at the Insolvency Service, said the order sends a clear warning: “Those who steal from the public purse should be in no doubt that we will come for the fraudulently obtained money.”
A different restaurant now operates from the same Mirfield address.
