An "audacious" fraudster fooled staff at a hotel in Hackney into handing over £80,000 of property belonging to guests.

Anisha Anwar, 35, of Harrow Road in Leytonstone, called the hotel several times on October 8 pretending to be one of the guests.

She claimed she was experiencing a family crisis and needed to urgently leave.

According to Scotland Yard, she was so convincing that staff agreed to pack belongings that were owned by their guests, including some luxury brand items.

Anwar then arranged for a licensed mini-cab to take her and the bags to Maryland Railway Station, where her associate was waiting.

When the guests returned to their room, they reported the theft the following morning.

Detectives were able to track the cab’s movements and identified the driver, who told them where he dropped off Anwar, and gave a description of a man who was waiting for him.

They sifted through phone records to find the mobile number that had been used to make the calls, and using advanced forensic methods, officers linked the phone to Anwar - who was apparently a known fraudster.

She was arrested and charged on November 11, but her partner in crime is still on the run.

Anwar pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation yesterday - December 15 - at Wood Green Crown Court, and will be sentenced on January 13, 2022.

Det Sgt Ian Cleghorn, from the central east borough command unit, said: “Anisha Anwar has a history of committing fraud, and this latest offence was truly audacious.

“She managed to fool the staff into handing over property - estimated at more than £80,000 - that did not belong to her.

"However, her inflated confidence proved to be her downfall, as the mobile phone she used to commit her crime was found where she was living."

He continued: “I would like to praise the work of my team throughout this investigation.

"The efforts taken to trace the cab and track the mobile show that we will use every method and technology available to us.”