AN international investigation into the collapse of a developer working in Bradford has grown in scale.

And the director of a company which had taken over two of its projects in the city has now had his assets frozen, it has emerged.

Detectives in Hong Kong are looking into reports that buy-to-let investors were deceived when buying flats off-plan from Liverpool-based Absolute Living Developments.

The company was working on three schemes in Bradford when it was forced into voluntary liquidation last year over £180,000 in unpaid business rates owed to Bradford Council.

The investors - mostly from the Far East - fear they have lost the sizeable deposits they put down for the flats they had bought, many of which remain unfinished.

Hong Kong’s Commercial Crime Bureau initially said they were investigating reports from 118 people “who suspected that they were deceived while investing in properties”.

Since then, a further 151 people have made complaints, bringing the number of potential victims to 269.

Detectives have also revealed that their investigation has widened to include other, unnamed developers.

A spokesman said: “From June 18, 2016, to October 16, 2017, police received reports from 269 people who suspected that they were deceived while investing in nine overseas estate projects with different developers through a local property agency.

“The loss involved totalled about HK$193 million [£18.7m].

“The case is being followed up by the Commercial Crime Bureau. No arrest has been made so far.”

In Bradford, two of Absolute Living Developments’ unfinished projects, Olicana House in Little Germany and Alexander House in Bolton Road, have since changed hands.

Both passed to an investment company, DS7, which said it had provided Absolute Living Developments with finance for the projects and therefore had a claim over the properties as a secured creditor.

Now it has emerged that DS7’s director, Charlie Cunningham, has had his assets frozen in a High Court injunction, with Absolute Living Developments’ liquidator, Louise Brittain, alleging that money from Absolute Living Developments has been wrongfully diverted to a number of companies, including DS7.

Mr Cunningham said he planned to fight “on the strongest possible terms” the freezing injunction brought by Ms Brittain and lawyer Danny Davis.

He said: “DS7 categorically refutes all claims and allegations made by Louise Brittain and Danny Davis, and it will challenge this injunction.”

Mr Cunningham said DS7 was currently preparing its case, which he said would include “critical information” for the courts.

He said his company had “absolute confidence in the legal system to arrive at the truth”.

One of the investors, who wanted to be named only as Mrs Wong, said she and other investors welcomed the recent developments in the case.

She added: “But we are not certain whether we can get our money back in the end.”