Three detained after police raid alleged gay-asylum fraud network
Police arrested two individuals in London on fraud and immigration charges and a third for illegal stay, linked to a scheme that sold fake gay-asylum evidence.
Authorities from the Home Office arrested two people in London on suspicion of fraud and immigration offences, and a third individual for being in the country illegally. Investigators allege the suspects ran a scheme that charged Bangladeshi migrants up to £4,500 to produce fabricated proof of gay identity, including false letters, photographs and relationship documents, to bolster asylum applications. The operation was linked to the Apanjon LGBT organisation based in Whitechapel, which had earlier drawn scrutiny for unreliable testimony in asylum cases.
Police seized thousands of pounds in cash, jewellery and mobile devices during the raid. More than 100 asylum claims connected to the network are being re-examined, and a conviction for asylum fraud can carry a maximum ten-year sentence. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned the fraud as contemptuous of genuine victims.
Why it matters
The arrests expose a fraud network exploiting asylum rules, risking tighter immigration controls and undermining protection for genuine refugees.
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