Fraudster held over false claim he lost family in blaze

PoLICE have arrested a man on suspicion of falsely claiming to have lost family members in the Grenfell inferno to cash in on the disaster.

The unnamed 52-year- old is alleged to have tried to claim money and housing by pretending his non-existent wife and son had died in the blaze.

He came forward in the immediate after- math of the fire and was assigned family liaison officers, Scotland Yard said.

He attempted to claim financial support, stating he had lost all his property.

But police investigated after it became apparent that there were inconsistencies in the man’s stories. officers spoke to residents of Grenfell Tower, who confirmed the he did not live at the address he claimed to. They also traced him to where he was actually living, in Bromley, south-east London, and found he did not have a wife or child.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said: ‘The focus of all of us should be on supporting victims and families, recovering loved ones from Grenfell Tower and investigating the fire.

‘I have made it clear that we are not inter- ested in investigating things such as subletting or immigration matters as I want their help and do not want there to be any hidden victims of this tragedy. However, we will robustly investigate any information about anyone who seeks to capitalise on the suffering of so many.’

The man was last night held at a west London police station on suspicion of fraud.