POLICE have arrested a man who pretended to put up his three-room flat for rent, pocketed the rental deposits from over 10 prospective tenants and then disappeared.

The 46-year-old man is believed to have cheated at least 11 victims of between $150 and $3,000 over two months.

Police said he placed advertisements in a morning newspaper and approached unsuspecting housing agents to let out his unit.

He would hand over photocopies of his identity card, his flat conservancy booklet and a bunch of two keys to allay the suspicions of the victims, who would then give him the cash deposits, without ever seeing the Commonwealth Drive flat that they were apparently renting.

Once the money was in hand, the 'landlord' would disappear.

After receiving several similar reports within two weeks of the first case, a team of officers from the Commercial Crime Squad of Clementi Police Division noted the crime trend and set out to stop his crime spree.

Extensive enquiries were conducted in the vicinity of Commonwealth Drive, but the suspect remained elusive and did not return home.

Acting on a tip-off, officers laid an ambush at Causeway Point shopping centre at Woodlands on Tuesday at about 7pm, and got the man.

A bunch of keys and a HDB conservancy book were seized.

The suspect will be charged in court on Thursday with cheating, which carries a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.