POLICE are hunting a bogus charity collector who swindled a school out of more than £200 it had collected for Kosovar refugees.

The conman took the money after approaching the Blackburn school, claiming to be from the charity Islamic Relief.

The headteacher of the school asked that it not be identified because the children would be upset if they knew the money they had raised had been stolen.

He said: "We want to warn other schools to be on the look-out for this character."

A police spokesman said: "This was a despicable act. The children had worked very hard to raise this money for people in need. I would urge other schools to be on their guard."

Athman Khan, manager of the North West branch of Islamic Relief, said he was very upset by the incident and he and other members of the Muslim community were anxious that the man is caught.

He said: "We never collect door to door, so if anyone comes to collect money using our organisation name, they are not legitimate. People either send donations by post or we make arrangements in advance to collect money from schools or wherever.

"All our volunteers and staff also carry identification badges. People should always ask for this identification card."

The conman is described as Asian, in his early 20s with a dark complexion. He was about 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build and had black, greasy, untidy hair. He had slight stubble on his face and a moustache.

He was wearing cream Islamic dress and black shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Blackburn Police on 01254 51212.

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