Howard Hughes, the reclusive billionaire whose story is told in Martin Scorsese's Oscar nominated film "The Aviator", reportedly spied on his lovers.

The reclusive entrepreneur was so convinced his lovers were cheating on him that he ran a fleet of bogus taxis to catch them in the act, reported Contactmusic.com.

These taxis were fitted with perfume detectors to register the unique fragrance worn - at his insistence - by his lovers.

When a detector was activated the driver would photograph the lady as she arrived at her destination.

Hollywood actresses Ava Gardner and Katherine Hepburn were among the playboy's many girlfriends.

In Scorsese's film Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hughes, while Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale and No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani play the billionaire's celebrity lovers.

In a Hollywood career that lasted over three decades, Hughes produced a number of films, including acclaimed ones such as "Outlaw" (1943), "Scarface" (1932), "The Sky Devils" (1932) and "Hells' Angels" (1930).