Multiple women have accused Al Fayed, who owned the luxury Harrods store between 1985 and 2010, of rape and sexual assault. He died in 2023 aged 94.

At the time of many of the alleged attacks, Fayed was the owner of Harrods, the Ritz Paris hotel and football club Fulham FC.

In a statement on Friday, the Met Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

The force said to date, 154 victims have come forward and reported allegations of sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Information gathered from these victims “has broadened the scope of the inquiry to cover all reported offences including human trafficking,” it said.

Met Police Commander Angela Craggs said the update “marks an important step in a complex and far-reaching investigation” and that “victims remain at the centre”.

“While Al Fayed is no longer alive to face prosecution, we have always been determined to bring anyone who is suspected to have played a part in his offending to justice,” Craggs added.

The Met previously said it was investigating individuals surrounding Al Fayed who could have enabled him to carry out more than 400 sexual misconduct crimes, which are claimed to have happened over several decades from 1977 to 2014.

Earlier this week, the former head of the Met’s anti-trafficking unit, Phil Brewer, told the BBC he could not understand why the operation was not already a trafficking investigation.

Brewer said it made sense to make Operation Cornpoppy – which is looking into what role individuals may have played in facilitating or enabling Al Fayed’s alleged offending – a trafficking investigation.

He said this would expand the “investigative strategy”.

The Met Police has called for anyone with information about its investigation to contact them, adding that information can also be shared anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through their online form.

Harrods has previously said it “apologises unreservedly for the sexual abuse inflicted upon survivors by Fayed”, and set up a compensation scheme for his victims.

The store also told the BBC earlier this week an independent external investigation it established into whether any current employees knew about the alleged abuse was “now concluding”.

The store has already reached financial settlements with the majority of people who have approached them since 2023.