Do you know this man?

Police are appealing for information on a man they want to speak to in connection with a £25,000 rental fraud.

The man is believed to be Shofiqul Islam and is thought to be of Bangladeshi origin. Detectives want to speak to them after fraudsters set-up a fake rental agency.

The agency appeared to have an office on London Wall and a luxury apartment to rent in the Aldgate area.

But both had been rented short-term, and the company disappeared days after customers handed over their cash deposits.

Det Sgt Mark Simmons said: "Clearly this apparent fraud has left victims significantly out of pocket, and one was actually made homeless, with a removal van of belongings but nowhere to take them to.

"We'd ask anyone who might know the whereabouts of the man we want to speak to in connection with this investigation to contact us."

Victims had responded to adverts on the Gumtree website offering flats for rent in the Aldgate area, and arranged viewing appointments.

They met with the ‘rental agent’ at Aldgate tube station to view the flats, only to be told that the advertised property had been let, but an alternative one was available.

The victims were then invited to serviced offices in the City, where the suspects were renting a small office. They handed over cash deposits of around £2,000 each, signed lease agreements and made arrangements to collect the flat keys.

But when they returned to collect the keys to move into their new home, the agency had vanished without trace, leaving victims homeless and out of pocket.

If you have information on the whereabouts of this man, please contact City of London Police on 0207 601 2222, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.