Two people have been arrested on suspicion of romance fraud after an elderly man was reportedly tricked into handing over hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Police searched an address in Gravesend yesterday and arrested a man and a woman, both in their thirties, on suspicion of the offence.

Officers seized more than £2,000 in cash and designer goods including watches, shoes, sunglasses and trainers.

An investigation was launched after a man in his 70s reported being defrauded out of more than £100,000.

The victim, who is from the Warwickshire area, struck up an online romance on a dating website with a woman who claimed to be a British nurse living abroad.

He was told that the nurse had travelled to Dubai to take care of her mother after her father passed away and needed the cash to travel and get her family affairs in orders.

As the chats progressed the suspect told the victim her mother had died and more money was required to access funds that her parents had left her.

The victim continued to pay out money throughout 2019 before becoming suspicious and reporting the matter to Action Fraud.

His case was investigated by the Volume Fraud Team and led to a search warrant being executed at a house in Gravesend yesterday.

A 37-year-old man has been bailed pending further enquiries and a 39-year-old woman has been released under investigation.

Detective Sergeant Marc Cananur said: "This type of crime is devastating for victims who are looking for love but just end up being exploited.

"These criminals use every method they can to get victims to part with their money or personal details.

"I would urge anyone who thinks they are being targeted or has been a victim of dating fraud to report it immediately.

"This information helps us to identify and track down theses heartless criminals and bring them to justice.’

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend