A court jailed an Indian man and two women on Wednesday for providing fake degrees and identities to hundreds of immigrants, in what prosecutors said was the biggest visa scam ever seen in Britain.
A judge sentenced Jatinder Kumar Sharma to seven years behind bars and Rakhi Shahi to eight years for orchestrating the fraud factory that allowed Indian and Pakistani nationals to study and work in Britain.
Another woman, Neelam Shar-ma, was given a four-year jail term after being convicted of handling some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that poured into the business in Southall, west London.
Jatinda Sharma has been married to Neelam Sharma for nearly 20 years, although a marriage certificate appeared to show he also recently wed Shahi. All three lived together in Southall.
Police suspect the business secured visas for almost 1,000 immigrants over two years, Isleworth Crown Court west of London heard, providing them with fake degree certificates, tax and wage receipts, bank statements and references.
During the month-long trial, prosecutors also alleged that the trio used fake documents to secure themselves visas in Britain, under a scheme designed to allow well-qualified individuals with useful skills to work here.
Prosecutor Francis Sheridan said the case “represents the largest single prosecution of dishonest records ever submitted to the Home Office by an individual business.”
“We believe we have cracked a major international conspiracy to facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants into the UK,” said Tony Smith, regional director of Britain’s Border Agency which manages migration, after the trial.
Police and border agency officials discovered 90,000 documents during a raid on the business last February, as well as passports, 50 different types of headed notepaper and 150 ink stamps used to create fake documents.
Prosecutors said the business, named Univisas, charged clients up to £4,000 (US$6,500) and was so confident of its success that it offered a money-back guarantee.
Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson criticized Home Office and immigration officials for failing to check that documents submitted to support student, skilled migration and other visa applications were bogus.
Shahi was convicted of conspiracy to defraud, handling criminal property and immigration offenses. Sharma pleaded guilty to his role in the business before the trial started.
All three face deportation at the end of their sentences.
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