Immigration officers have arrested three people in a raid linked to a suspected criminal network that helped migrants fabricate claims of being gay to obtain asylum in the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday morning, officers targeted the group and detained two individuals at locations in London. They were held on suspicion of committing fraud and immigration offences. During the operation, several mobile phones, items of jewellery and large sums of cash were taken into possession.
Separately, a third suspect was arrested for allegedly being present in the country without the required legal status.
The raids come after a BBC probe conducted earlier in the year that uncovered how certain legal advisers were assisting foreign nationals to present themselves as homosexual in order to qualify for asylum.
Chris Foster, the Home Office's regional head of criminal investigations, explained that the arrests concern bogus applications connected to Apanjon, a Bangladeshi LGBT organisation based in Whitechapel, in east London.
He added that asylum caseworkers noticed unusual patterns in various claims, which drew attention to the group. The immigration team has been examining the matter for several months.
According to Foster, the network offers fake letters and documents for fees ranging from £1,000 to £4,500. These can consist of endorsements from Apanjon, photographs arranged to imply the claimants are gay, or documents claiming same-sex relationships.
The Home Office is currently assessing more than 100 asylum applications associated with this network. Foster indicated that some of the fraudulent claims would have been successful without the scrutiny.
Immigration judges have previously found Apanjon's evidence to be unreliable. The organisation commonly provides support to asylum seekers claiming they are gay only after their initial applications based on political persecution have been turned down. In a specific instance, one applicant failed to mention their sexual orientation until nine years later.
The methods used by Apanjon are similar to those identified in the BBC's earlier investigation.
A spokesperson for the Home Office stated that all asylum claims connected to the reporting are under review, resulting in two arrests in May.
The April BBC article featured an adviser named Tanisa Khan, who told an undercover reporter she could supply a full set of evidence, such as club photographs and further supporting materials. She was associated with Worcester LGBT, which she recommended the reporter visit.
Participants at one event at a Beckton community centre told the reporter that very few attendees were actually gay.
The probe also exposed the use of invented medical conditions and counterfeit news websites to support the false claims.
Worcester LGBT has since ceased operations. Its founder had asserted that the group does not produce or back up fabricated evidence for asylum purposes and that it is not the organisation's role to confirm an individual's sexuality.
Tanisa Khan blamed the situation on poor communication and rejected the suggestion that she encouraged false claims or provided fake evidence.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned the practice of faking persecution as contemptible and noted that it disrespects genuine victims.
She called on the criminal gangs to face legal action, forfeit their profits and be disbanded. She also warned that those who have misled the system will have their applications rejected and will be expelled.
A guilty verdict for asylum fraud can lead to a prison term of up to 10 years.
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