One of Britain’s most wanted fugitives is arrested at luxury Swiss apartment

Mark Acklom, pictured, 45, has been arrested in Switzerland where he lived under a false name after being ‘on the run’ for two years

One of Britain’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Switzerland today, officials have confirmed after he allegedly tried to flee police by jumping off a balcony. 

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said alleged fraudster Mark Acklom was apprehended at a luxury apartment in Zurich where he had been apparently living under a false name after more than two years on the run.

Acklom, 45, is accused of fleecing a woman out of £850,000 in life savings after posing as an MI6 agent in a romance scam.

Reports suggest he tried to escape by jumping over a balcony at his home in Wadenswil, south of Zurich, but was tackled to the ground by officers. 

Currently in custody awaiting extradition, he faces criminal proceedings for a total of 20 fraud offences in the UK when he goes before a British court.

A European Arrest Warrant was issued for Acklom in June 2016 and he was believed to be at large in Spain, having been released from a Spanish prison after being jailed over a £200,000 property fraud.

In May last year he was spotted in Geneva, where he was believed to have been with his wife Maria Yolanda Ros Rodriguez, 47, and two daughters aged six and eight.

Officers believed his wife was working as a yoga teacher and using aliases including Yolianda Ross, Maria Long and Mary Moss.

Acklom, left, was living in Switzerland with his wife Maria Yolanda Ros Rodriguez, right, and their two children

He is accused of conning Carolyn Woods, pictured, out of huge sums of money after ‘convincing her to loan him cash’

It is understood Mrs Rodriguez and the two girls are still in Switzerland.  

Acklom is said to have changed his name to Marc Long in a desperate bid to obtain a legitimate passport and a Swiss residency permit.

Acklom is accused of tricking Carolyn Woods, of Bath, into handing over the huge sum of money after striking up a relationship with her for a year.

He allegedly posed as a MI6 agent and used his ‘confidence and charisma’ to convince her to repeatedly loan him cash. 

Speaking this morning, Ms Woods said: ‘It’s been more than five years since I tried to report him.

‘Obviously I’m delighted that he’s been arrested.

‘I’m hoping that he will be extradited and brought to trial in the UK.

‘When I discovered his true identity, the day before I reported him, I learnt he was married with children.

‘I’m delighted he’s been found and arrested and I’m hoping that justice will be served eventually.’ 

The investigation into Acklom began when Ms Woods reported to police that he posed as a Swiss banker and conned her into lending him £850,000.

She says he told her he was borrowing her life savings for renovation work at properties in Bath, Somerset.

They became a couple in 2012 when Acklom visited the boutique where Carolyn worked  and told her he was a Swiss banker.

Acklom is a former public schoolboy who has enjoyed a lavish lifestyle including trips to Ascot and driving luxury cars

Acklom, left and right as a teenager, has previous convictions for fraud in the 1990s

Her daughter Lara recalled how he took Carolyn to Harrods on shopping trips, and encouraged her to move into a house he claimed he owned in The Circus, in Bath.

She says Acklom treated Carolyn to a Volvo XC60 – which later turned out to be leased, and also claimed people wanted him dead.

He then vanished, and claimed to be working undercover in Syria – telling Carolyn the house was bugged to increase her paranoia. 

In September it emerged Acklom had been seen in Geneva with Jose Estevez, another fugitive who is wanted by Spanish authorities for defrauding government departments in Vigo, a city in the north-west of the country.

According to Interpol, Estevez was behind the largest ever scam on the Galician treasury, after submitting £10million (11million euros) in false invoices.

Ian Cruxton, head of International Operations for the NCA, said: ‘The hunt for conman Mark 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 & Somerset Police to track ‘him down.

‘I suspect a fraudster like Acklom will have continued offending while on the run, which is why it was so important to apprehend him.

‘We are committed to protecting UK citizens from criminals who seek to exploit them and, likewise, we are equally committed to protecting citizens in other countries.

Acklom, pictured on CCTV, was one of Britain’s ‘most wanted fugitives’ after being accused of conning a woman out of £850,000 in a romance scam in which he posed as an MI6 agent. He is pictured here with Ms Woods at her shop in Gloucestershire

‘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.

‘He was arrested late on Saturday night after the apartment where he was living under a false name was identified.

‘I’m really pleased for Carolyn Woods as she’s been waiting a long time for news of his arrest.

‘We have a well-established extradition treaty with the Swiss authorities and court proceedings will now begin.’

Senior Investigating Officer Det Insp Adam Bunting, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: ‘The arrest of Mark Acklom is the direct result of the co-ordinated efforts of our officers, the NCA and the Swiss authorities, and we’re grateful for the professionalism and expertise of all those involved in this international search.

‘Acklom thought he could continue to evade capture by moving around Europe but we were determined to locate him and bring him back to this country.

‘We’ve updated the victim of the fraud offences on the latest developments and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to ensure he is extradited as soon as possible.’

Yanis Callandret, Head of the Federal Criminal Police at fedpol, said: ‘We are very happy to contribute to this arrest and want to thank the NCA and the cantonal police of Zurich for the excellent and professional collaboration.’ 

Acklom is a former public schoolboy who has enjoyed a lavish lifestyle including trips to Ascot, driving luxury cars including Porsches and Maseratis and dining in Michelin-starred restaurants.

Acklom has been active around Europe, according to the NCA, while ‘on the run’

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