Luxury watches seized in £76m care home investigation

Branded Patek Philippe, Rolex and Hublot watches were seized in Dorset

Suspected luxury watches with a potential value of £500k have been seized in relation to a suspected £76 million care home fraud.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Dorset Police recovered branded Patek Philippe, Rolex and Hublot watches from a property in the county.

In March, SFO announced an investigation into collapsed developer Carlauren Group, arresting three people and raiding sites in Dorset and Buckinghamshire.

SFO director Nick Ephgrave said: "We are progressing our investigation at pace to deliver justice.”

The group collapsed into administration in November 2019, leaving elderly residents to vacate their homes and more than 600 investors out of pocket.

Mr Ephgrave said: "We work hard to recover criminal assets and prevent suspected offenders from enjoying – or concealing – the spoils of their crimes.

"Many investors remain affected by the collapse of the Carlauren Group and we are progressing our investigation at pace to deliver justice for them.”

The seized watches will be taken to a secure storage location before being authenticated and valued.

If the watches are found to be fake, they may be destroyed.