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

Immigration enforcement have made arrests in connection with a suspected criminal network believed to be behind dozens of fake asylum claims from people pretending to be gay.

Those targeted by Home Office immigration enforcement officers on Tuesday morning are accused of charging migrants up to £4,500 for fabricated evidence, including staged photographs and fake documents.

They are thought to have aided dozens of asylum claims from Bangladeshi men, claiming they would be in fear for their lives if they returned home.

Two people were arrested at addresses in London on Tuesday on suspicion of fraud and immigration offences, with Home Office officers also seizing phones, jewellery and thousands of pounds in cash.

A third person was arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally.

It follows a BBC investigation earlier this year , which revealed that law firms and advisers were helping migrants pose as gay in an effort to get asylum.

Chris Foster, a regional lead for criminal investigations at the Home Office, said Tuesday's arrests were over separate fake claims connected to a Bangladeshi community LGBT organisation called Apanjon, which is based in Whitechapel, east London.

He said asylum caseworkers had initially spotted patterns in suspicious claims, which raised concerns about the group, and that immigration officers had been investigating for several months.