Three people have been arrested in the UK over an alleged scheme to help Bangladeshi men make asylum claims by falsely presenting themselves as gay.
Immigration officers from the UK Home Office carried out raids in London on Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into the suspected network. Two people were arrested at separate locations, while a third person was detained on suspicion of unlawfully remaining in the country.
The suspects are accused of producing fabricated photographs, documents and other supporting evidence designed to make asylum applicants appear to be gay. Investigators believe they may have charged between £1,000 and £4,500 for the alleged services.
The Home Office suspects that Bangladeshi men were among those who received assistance. In the applications, claimants reportedly said they were gay and would face serious risks to their lives or safety if returned to Bangladesh.
Mobile phones, jewellery and several thousand pounds in cash were seized during the raids, according to the authorities.
The arrests come after a wider investigation into allegations that false evidence has been used to strengthen asylum applications based on sexual orientation.
Investigation linked to east London organisation
Chris Foster, regional head of the Home Office’s criminal investigations division, said the latest arrests followed concerns over several allegedly false asylum applications associated with ‘Aponjon’, a Bangladeshi LGBT organisation based in Whitechapel, east London.
According to Foster, officials reviewing asylum applications noticed a recurring pattern in a number of cases. The similarities prompted investigators to examine the organisation and its activities. The investigation continued for several months before the arrests were made.
Foster said intelligence indicated that those involved could have been charging applicants between £1,000 and £4,500 for false documentation.
Such material allegedly included letters of support from Aponjon, staged photographs intended to portray applicants as gay, and letters stating that an applicant was homosexual.
The Home Office is now reviewing more than 100 asylum applications believed to have potential links to the suspected network. Foster said some applications containing false evidence could otherwise have been approved.
Questions had already been raised by immigration judges over the reliability of evidence associated with Aponjon. In some cases, applicants reportedly claimed to have attended events organised by the group, while photographs submitted as supporting evidence were alleged to have been staged.
The Home Office said the organisation had often provided statements or support for men who claimed to be gay after their initial asylum applications, including applications based on political circumstances, had been rejected.
In one case, an applicant reportedly disclosed his sexual orientation nine years after making his original asylum claim.
Earlier BBC investigation
The latest arrests follow a BBC investigation published earlier this year into allegations that some advisers and legal practitioners were helping asylum seekers present themselves as gay in order to strengthen their claims.
A report published in April examined the activities of advisers involved in the asylum process. During the investigation, an adviser named Tanisa Khan reportedly told an undercover journalist that she could provide a ‘full package’ including photographs from gay clubs and other supporting evidence.
The journalist was also connected with a community group called Worcester LGBT. Khan reportedly advised the journalist to attend one of the group’s events so that material could be gathered to support the fabricated claim.
At an event held at a community centre in Beckton, east London, several men who attended reportedly said they were not gay. One participant claimed that nobody at the event was gay.
The BBC investigation also examined allegations involving fabricated medical conditions and websites carrying false news reports, which were allegedly used to make fraudulent asylum claims appear more credible.
Worcester LGBT has since closed. Its founder previously denied that the organisation had created or endorsed fabricated evidence for asylum applications. The founder also said it was not the organisation’s responsibility to determine whether an individual was genuinely gay.
Khan described the allegations as a misunderstanding and denied advising the journalist to produce false evidence or offering to create fabricated material.
Home Office continues reviewing cases
A Home Office spokesperson said the review of asylum applications identified through the earlier BBC investigation remains under way. Two people were also arrested in May as a result of that investigation.
The latest operation is part of the authorities’ wider effort to identify suspected abuse of the UK asylum system. Officials are particularly examining cases where supporting evidence may have been deliberately manufactured to establish a claim that an applicant faces persecution because of their sexual orientation.
The issue is sensitive because genuine LGBT asylum seekers may face persecution and serious personal risks in countries where homosexuality is criminalised or heavily stigmatised. Asylum authorities therefore have to assess individual claims carefully, while also investigating allegations of deliberate fraud.
Government issues warning
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned those accused of making false persecution claims that they could face serious consequences.
She said fraudulent claims undermine genuine victims who require protection and vowed that people profiting from such alleged deception would be pursued.
Mahmood also said illegally obtained money could be seized and fraudulent operations shut down. Claims found to be dishonest could be rejected, while individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the UK could face removal.
Under UK law, people convicted of asylum-related fraud can face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
However, the three people arrested in the latest operation have not been convicted, and the allegations against them remain subject to the legal process. The Home Office’s continuing review of more than 100 potentially linked applications could lead to further investigations or action depending on what officials find.
