In a tale reminiscent of Agatha Christie's last Poirot novel, one of the world's best private detectives is living in a Surrey care home where he shares his memories of a life spent hunting down villains, and unmasking million pound counterfeiting schemes.

Vincent Carratu, 85, may not look that different from other pensioners enjoying a quiet retirement at a care home in Banstead.

But when he talks about his exploits at a regular Crime Hour he has started, he has other residents enthralled.

In 1990 the Sunday Times described Mr Carratu, then headquartered in Cheam, as the "world’s most accomplished private investigator" who broke several hundred million pounds' worth of "corrupt enterprise".

Last week from Sunrise of Banstead in Croydon Lane, Mr Carratu said: "It’s a world away, but it’s a comfortable world away."

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Crime Hour at a care home in Banstead

One of his most memorable cases was a five-month investigation into the suspicious death of a policeman who "shot himself five times in the chest" in Hong Kong in the early ’80s.

Mr Carratu said: "I had three witnesses murdered and received 34 death threats. They just suggested it was about time I left the colony and went back to Europe and if I valued my safety I should leave.

"I had witnesses murdered so I knew whoever was out there could carry out their threats, but you have to get on with the job."

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Mr Carratu also tells fellow residents about cases such as busting a Chanel counterfeit perfume swindle.

He said: "The Rolls Royce came in and I was the buyer of counterfeit perfume. The police were all in place, but [the gang] ran so they were all chased.

"We had great fun running around the streets of Kensington arresting them."

He also shut down a factory in Mexico which was part of a massive international scam with perfume and bottles from Italy, packaging from Holland and links to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

When asked to explain the tricks of the private investigation trade, he said: "Every case is different. There’s no strict formula. It’s a question of who you know and what you know.

"The ability to talk to people, gain their confidence and get them to tell you things they don’t want to tell you."

He added: "I was undercover nearly all the time. I didn’t wear disguises as such. I used to be away from home eight months out of every year."

In 1990 then New York investigator and ex-Department of Justice prosecutor Bill Callahan told the Sunday Times that Mr Carratu had bonhomie and was a "breath of fresh of air".

But Mr Callahan said: "He’s the last man in the world you’d want coming after you."

Back in 1963, Mr Carratu set up Carratu International, the first-ever privately owned UK company to undertake counterfeit and corporate investigations. Today the company is based in London.

Its website said: "With 50 years' service to the corporate industry, Carratu is one of the premier providers of Worldwide Corporate Investigation, Security Services and Training."

It added: "We have established a reputation for delivering high quality results in a discreet, confidential and timely fashion.

"Without exception, all our investigations are dealt with in the strictest confidence."