Four individuals from Leicester have been charged amid accusations they staged a sham wedding ceremony to obtain UK spouse visas.
UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers received intelligence regarding a suspected sham wedding between a Leicester woman and an Indian national. They arrived at the ceremony in Downpatrick earlier this week (Tuesday, October 11th) to investigate.
Following the arrests, Ayesha Mullan, a 25-year-old British citizen, was brought before Bangor Magistrates Court with ten counts of assisting unlawful UK immigration. She also stood accused of two counts of bigamy and one count of perjury.
Meanwhile, her would-be-groom Salauddin Daudbhai Bhadki, a 37-year-old Indian national, stood charged of seeking to obtain leave in the UK by deception. Mr Bhadki has been remanded in custody, while Ms Mullan was bailed to appear at a later date.
Earl Aiken, senior criminal investigator for the UKBA, commented on the events: “These arrests are the result of intensive investigations into suspected sham marriages by our team of specialist immigration officers and shows the lengths criminals will go to when committing their crimes.
“They reflect how seriously the UK Border Agency takes abuse of the immigration laws and our determination to stamp it out wherever it comes from.”