A - who was due to be deported in 2010 - faces a lengthy sentence after selling £8.5 million of property he did not own to spend on and a speedboat. Anopkumar Maudhoo, 45, of Wapping, East London, admitted 31 charges including fraud, money laundering and having false identity documents.

Maudhoo, who used several aliases such as 'Vincent Lebeouf', orchestrated a large-scale conveyancing fraud which offered investment opportunities in the purchase of supposedly repossessed properties, or the re-development of plots of land. But in reality the properties were not subject to repossession proceedings and the genuine owners were unaware of the fraudulent sales. Police found he had used companies in his control to create the impression he had unique access to repossessed and liquidated properties and was able to expedite their onward sale.

When victims raised concerns, Police said Maudhoo would exchange messages with himself using different aliases and devices to pretend to be a point of escalation within his business or a contact in the planning or conveyancing process.

Police said he also used excuses like he was waiting for bridging loans to come through or bank delays to bide himself time.

Maudhoo, who had been set to be deported to Mauritius in 2010, was arrested by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) during raids in London and Hertfordshire last year.

Evidence suggested he organised the illicit sale of 75 buildings or development plots since 2021, with victims located across North London, Hertfordshire and .

Police said officers searching locations linked to Maudhoo seized a speedboat and 19 high-value cars which included Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins. More than £15,000 in cash was retrieved during the warrants, along with 14 sets of false identity documents for several aliases of different nationalities.

Detective Inspector Damian Barlow, from ERSOU's Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), said: "The scale of Maudhoo's offending is truly shocking, and what stood out as we pieced together this investigation is that he paid absolutely no regard to those he was defrauding. Put simply, he was purely focussed on taking victims' cash and using it to fund his lavish lifestyle.

"Our investigation has involved hours and hours of work as our teams picked through Maudhoo's lies and attempted coverups. Victims in this case have lost significant sums of money, in some cases in excess of a million pounds, and we are continuing to work to ensure all of his assets are located, brought under police control, and used to repay those who Maudhoo targeted."

Maudhoo is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court for sentencing on 30 June.