Three people have been arrested in connection with a suspected criminal network accused of helping migrants pretending to be gay to claim asylum.
The network has allegedly been charging migrants up to £4,500 for fabricated evidence, including forged documents and staged photos in gay clubs and bars.
They are believed to have supported dozens of bogus asylum claims from Bangladeshi men claiming to be at risk of persecution if they returned home.
Two people were arrested in London yesterday on suspicion of fraud and immigration offences, while a third was arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
Immigration Enforcement officers also seized jewellery, phones and thousands of pounds of cash.
Chris Foster, a regional criminal investigations lead for the Home Office, said the arrests were over fake claims connected to Apanjon, a Bangladeshi community LGBT organisation based in Whitechapel, east London.
He said: ‘We’ve got some intelligence that they can provide fake letters and documents, and they could charge anywhere between £1,000 and £4,500.
‘It could be letters of support from Apanjon, it could be staged photographs, suggesting that these people are gay, it could be letters from people claiming to be in a friendship or a sexual relationship – [a] same-sex relationship – as the claimants.’
More than 100 asylum applications linked to the network are now being reviewed, some of which would have ‘undoubtedly’ been granted, Mr Foster said.
They are said to include letters confirming attendance at LGBT events and staged photos, many taken in the same gay nightlife venues.
Photos show dozens of men from the group wearing matching pink T-shirts at London’s annual Pride parade and during monthly meet-ups.
The number of asylum seekers claiming they need protection based on sexual orientation has rocketed in recent years to hit 2,133 in 2023.
Pakistanis accounted for the most claims, 578, followed by 175 from Bangladeshis and 103 from Nigerians. Homosexuality is illegal in all three countries.