Two arrests made in an alleged asylum scam.
Investigation launched into suspected fake asylum claims and more than 100 asylum claims under review.
🚨 Fake asylum evidence sold for thousands: two suspected ringleaders arrested in alleged scam. 👮♀️
A criminal network believed to be behind dozens of bogus LGBT asylum claims has been dismantled following a series of dawn raids.
Two suspected ringleaders of the scam were arrested by Immigration Enforcement officers in London.
The network charged Bangladeshi asylum seekers thousands of pounds for evidence packages designed to support fake claims of homophobic persecution.
This includes witness statements, letters confirming attendance at LGBT events, and staged photos, many taken at the same gay clubs and bars.
The group would often vouch for Bangladeshi men who claimed to be gay after initially being refused asylum on political grounds. In one case the man’s sexuality was not raised as a ground until nine years after his original claim.
More than 100 asylum applications linked to the scam are now under review, with those found to be lying facing removal from the UK.
Officers also seized suspected criminal assets, including thousands of pounds in cash and jewellery as well as electronic devices and credit cards - which will be used as evidence in the investigation.
Those who attempt to cheat the asylum system face having their claims rejected and being removed from the UK