Fugitive British love fraudster arrested near Zurich
The suspect was arrested in Wädenswil, a town 20km south of Zurich
Keystone
Swiss police say they have arrested a fugitive British man who allegedly swindled a woman out of more than £850,000 (CHF1 million) following an international manhunt.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and SDA-ATS; ug
The Federal Office of Police and the Zurich cantonal police confirmed that the 45-year-old suspect, one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives, was apprehended in an apartment near Lake Zurich, and has been in detention since last Saturday pending his extradition.
He reportedly lived under a false name in Spain and later in Switzerland.
The man, who was on the run for two years, posed as a secret service agent and a banker in a romance scam with a 61-year-old woman in Britain, and will face criminal proceedings for 20 fraud offences when he goes before a British court.
The Swiss authorities say the arrest of is a good example of police cooperation at a national and international level.
A European arrest warrant was issued for Mark Acklom in June 2016, and he was believed to be at large in Spain, having been released from a Spanish prison over a £200,000 property fraud.
In May last year he was spotted in Geneva, where he was believed to have been with his family.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
Geneva, which is facing several days of very hot weather, has raised its level of vigilance with regard to the risk of forest fires and is issuing an appeal for caution.
Zurich arbitration authority rules in favour of tenants of ‘Sugus Houses’
This content was published on
A conciliation authority says the terminations of 105 flat leases in the so-called "Sugus Houses" in the centre of Zurich were abusive. The tenants therefore do not have to move out - at least for the time being.
This content was published on
Visitors to Switzerland spent CHF19.6 billion ($23.9 billion) last year, a 2.2% rise compared to the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Monday.
This content was published on
Despite the current tense economic situation, Swiss consumer sentiment remains positive. The Swiss spent more money in May than the previous year, particularly on restaurant visits and leisure activities, as shown by the latest figures released by PostFinance.
This content was published on
A bear killed four sheep in the Lower Engadine region near Scuol, canton Graubünden, last week. This was the first bear attack on local livestock in four years.
This content was published on
Experts believe that economic development in Switzerland will be weaker in 2026 than the forecasts made three months ago. They have also lowered their predictions for the current year.
This content was published on
Fewer people in Switzerland have a religious affiliation and the proportion who practice their religion regularly is steadily declining, a survey finds.
Study: trees have major cooling effect even in extreme heat
This content was published on
Plane trees in cities have an important cooling effect even in extreme heat, according to a new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL).
EPFL launches digitised version of Battle of Murten panorama
This content was published on
To mark the anniversary of the Battle of Murten on 22 June 1476, the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has launched a website that offers the public an immersive experience of the huge panorama painting of the historic battle.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Fraudsters trick art dealer out of CHF500,000
This content was published on
The dealer, who does not want to be named, told the Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper how the gang, posing as agents for a wealthy art buyer, agreed a CHF3.5 million ($3.6 million) sale in exchange for a CHF500,000 commission. One of the gang members insisted on seeing the commission in cash as surety and was…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.