18 bodies recovered in Bangladesh ferry disaster

• Investigators search properties in the UK and Italy
• Fund once promised homes for the homeless and steady investor returns
• Questions grow over how properties were really used

The Serious Fraud Office has arrested six people and carried out raids at seven locations as part of a widening investigation into alleged bribery and fraud linked to social housing fund Home REIT.

The agency has estimated around £300m of “suspected offending” connected to the company, which was once listed on the London Stock Exchange. Searches were conducted at residential addresses in Altrincham, Maidenhead and London, along with a commercial site in Manchester. A further search took place at a property in Venice, with support from Italy’s Guardia di Finanza. Officers from the National Crime Agency assisted in the operation.