Three arrested in Home Office raid over alleged fake gay asylum claims

Mixed · 2Home Office immigration enforcement officers arrested three people on the morning of Tuesday 6 October in connection with a suspected criminal network believed to be behind dozens of fake asylum claims from people pretending to be gay. 1 2 Mixed · 2Two people were arrested at addresses in London on suspicion of fraud and immigration offences, and a third on suspicion of being in the country illegally; officers also seized phones, jewellery and thousands of pounds in cash. 3 2 Mixed · 2Those targeted are accused of charging migrants between £1,000 and £4,500 for fabricated evidence, including staged photographs and fake documents, and are thought to have aided dozens of claims from Bangladeshi men saying they feared for their lives if returned home. 3 2

Mixed · 2Chris Foster, a regional lead for criminal investigations at the Home Office, said the fake claims were connected to Apanjon, a Bangladeshi community LGBT organisation based in Whitechapel, east London, and that evidence could include support letters, staged photographs, or letters from people claiming a same-sex relationship with the claimant. 3 2 Centre · 1Foster said asylum caseworkers had spotted patterns in suspicious claims and immigration officers had investigated for several months; more than 100 linked claims are being reviewed, and he said some of the fake applications would "undoubtedly" have been granted. 3 Centre · 1The BBC reported that immigration judges have previously criticised Apanjon's evidence as unreliable or not credible, and found that one applicant who said he attended its events had submitted staged photographs. 3

Mixed · 2The Home Office said the group often vouched for men claiming asylum as gay only after an earlier refusal on political grounds; in one case a man did not raise his sexuality until nine years after his original claim. 3 2 Centre · 1The raid follows a BBC investigation published in April that found law firms and advisers helping migrants pose as gay; that reporting led to two arrests in May, and the Home Office says it is still reviewing linked claims. A BBC reporter accompanied officers on the raid. 3 1 Centre · 1In that investigation an adviser, Tanisa Khan, told an undercover reporter she could provide a "comprehensive package" including photographs at gay clubs; she blamed a "misunderstanding" and denied advising a false claim. Worcester LGBT, the group she was linked to, has closed, and its founder said it did not create or support fabricated evidence. 3

Mixed · 2Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said those faking persecution "mock real victims who need protection", warned gangs they would be prosecuted and "stripped of your dirty money", and said those cheating the system would be removed. Asylum fraud carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. 3 2