Three arrested after raid on gang accused of helping migrants pretend to be gay to get asylum

Three arrests have been made in connection with a suspected criminal network alleged to be responsible for numerous fake asylum claims from individuals posing as gay to secure asylum. This follows a BBC investigation earlier this year that uncovered law firms and advisers aiding migrants in pretending to be gay to obtain asylum.

The individuals targeted by Home Office immigration enforcement officers today are accused of charging up to £4,500 for fabricated evidence, such as staged photographs and counterfeit documents. They allegedly aided dozens of asylum claims from Bangladeshi men, asserting they would face danger if they returned home. Two individuals were apprehended at London residences on suspicion of fraud and immigration offenses, with law enforcement seizing phones, jewelry, and thousands of pounds in currency.

A third person was arrested on suspicion of residing in the country illegally. Chris Foster, a Home Office regional lead for criminal investigations, stated that the fraudulent claims are linked to a Bangladeshi community LGBT organization called Apanjon, located in Whitechapel, east London. The Home Office claims that over 100 asylum claims connected to this criminal network are currently under review.

Foster mentioned that the group allegedly provides fake letters and documents, charging between £1,000 and £4,500 for assistance. Some of the fraudulent asylum applications would have likely been approved. Immigration judges have previously deemed evidence from Apanjon unreliable or untrustworthy, finding that an applicant who claimed to have attended the group's events had submitted fabricated photographs.

The Home Office asserts that the group frequently endorses men who claim asylum based on their alleged homosexuality after initially being rejected on political grounds. One case involved a man who did not disclose his sexuality until nine years after his initial claim. The group is accused of employing similar tactics to those implicated in the BBC's investigation earlier this year.

A Home Office spokesperson stated that they are still reviewing asylum claims linked to the earlier reporting, which resulted in two arrests in May. In the BBC report, published in April, an adviser named Tanisa Khan told an undercover reporter that she could provide a comprehensive package, including photographs at gay clubs and other supporting evidence.

Khan was linked to a community group called Worcester LGBT, which she allegedly advised to attend its events to bolster evidence for a false claim. Some men attending an event at a community center in Beckton, east London, claimed they were not truly gay. One said, "Nobody is gay here. Not even 1% are gay. Not even 0.01% are gay."

The investigation also revealed how bogus medical conditions and fake news websites were used to support fraudulent asylum claims. Worcester LGBT has since disbanded. Its founder previously denied creating or supporting fabricated evidence in asylum claims and stated that the organization's role is not to determine whether any individual is actually gay.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned those who fake persecution as "beneath contempt" and vowed to prosecute the gangs profiting from this fraudulent fraud, seize their ill-gotten gains, and dismantle their operations. She also stated that the claims of those cheating the system will be rejected, and they will be expelled from the country. A conviction for asylum fraud carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.