A fugitive accused of being one of Britain’s most wanted fraudsters has been arrested at a luxury apartment in Switzerland.
Mark Acklom, 45, was being hunted across Europe after allegedly fleecing a woman out of her £850,000 life savings by posing as an MI6 spy in a romance scam.
The National Crime Agency said Acklom was seized at an apartment in Zurich where he had been living with his yoga teacher wife and two daughters under a false name.
The agency said he was tracked down to the address late on Saturday night.
One report says he attempted to jump from the balcony of the rented home but was wrestled to the ground.
Police said Acklom is now in custody in Switzerland awaiting extradition. He faces criminal proceedings in connection with a total of 20 fraud offences when he goes before a British court.
In 2013, Avon and Somerset police launched an investigation after Carolyn Woods, 61, claimed that he tricked her during a year-long relationship into lending him £850,000 to renovate properties in Bath.
At first he allegedly told the single mother of two that he was a Swiss banker but later claimed he worked for MI6.
Acklom, described as a smooth-talking former public schoolboy, has been the subject of a European Arrest Warrant since June last year. He is accused of 12 offences of converting or removing criminal property and eight of fraud by false representation.
Acklom was believed to be at large in Spain, having been released from a Spanish prison over a £200,000 property fraud.
He was last sighted outside a cafe in Geneva in May, but reportedly managed to escape before police closed in.
Ian Cruxton, head of international operations at the NCA, said the hunt for Acklom “started in Spain but as soon as intelligence indicated he had moved to Switzerland, we utilised our assets there and worked closely with the Swiss authorities and Avon and Somerset Police to track him down”.
He added: “Like many fugitives Acklom believed he could remain at large by travelling around Europe, but our international reach means there is no safe place to hide.
