The Hindu : Front Page : 25 British Indians jailed in fake marriages scam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 19, 2005

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Front Page

25 British Indians jailed in fake marriages scam

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JAN. 18. Twenty-five British Indians, including 14 women, have been jailed for running a "lucrative'' racket in fake marriages to facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants into Britain.

The Leicester-based racket arranges sham weddings between Indians and British nationals paving the way for the former to settle down in Britain and claim citizenship.

A total of 36 such weddings have come to light, and in some cases "brides'' were flown to India as their prospective "husbands'' were not eligible to come to Britain. One woman claimed that she married six men over five years.

Salim Mullan (50) and Ibrahim Umarji (66), described as "ring leaders,'' were sentenced to four years each by the Leicester Crown Court on Monday. Twenty-three others received sentences of up to three years each, and one woman was given a suspended sentence.

Mullan's wife, Jahara, who was also jailed, admitted to the charge of money-laundering and nearly £80,000 was reported to have been found in her two bank accounts.

Judge Simon Hammond, delivering the verdict, called it a "well-planned and sophisticated operation involving recruitment of stooges in this country.''

"The sentence must reflect the public need to deter others in what was for some a very lucrative scam. The motive for the U.K. citizens was money, and for the Indian nationals (it) was entry into the U.K. and to remain in the U.K.,'' he observed.

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