An Asian couple have been jailed when it was discovered that they ran an immigration racket which allowed migrants to live illegally in Britain, while collecting benefits.
Father of four Shohidul Islam, 41, and his 39-year old wife Anwara were arrested after a Bangladeshi migrant was discovered in a secret hideout in their loft, having outstayed a Government visa for two years, the Daily Mail reported.
Immigration officers raided Islam's extended detached property in Burnley, Lancashire, and discovered Shafik Miah, hiding under a pile of suitcases.
They also found a haul of counterfeit Bangladeshi passports and National insurance cards in the couple's wardrobe, along with 270 pages of documentation which alleged that a local restaurant owner Abdul Shahid (47), who ran the Sunar Gar restaurant in Bolton, had acted as a sponsor for 12 Bangladeshi nationals between 2005-10 applying for entry clearance to the UK.
One man sponsored by Shahid and had been granted a six month family visit visa in February 2007, but was found working in the UK in 2012. He was arrested whilst working in a restaurant in North Wales, where he used a fake passport in the name of Rumel Ahmed.
Shahid was convicted of passport charges and was jailed for 30 months. His nephew Mohammed Uddin, 42, who failed to turn up for the hearing after being convicted of identity document offences was jailed for 13 and a half months in his absence.
Islam has now also been jailed for five and a half years and his wife jailed for two years and three months after they were both found guilty of assisting unlawful immigration. He was also found guilty of possessing false passports and she was convicted of possessing identity documents without reasonable excuse.
Both said they were acting on 'humanitarian grounds', claiming Miah would be in danger if he returned to Bangladesh. Though it is believed Miah is now back in Bangladesh.
Passing sentence, Recorder Tania Griffiths QC reportedly said the racket was a 'smoothly run operation' which enabled the couple to 'reap financial benefits.'
In mitigation, defence counsel Keith Harrison for Mr Islam said that he is highly regarded by his community and people from all walks of life. He has worked for charity, local community politics and he is a businessman everyone looks upto. This offence will be a fall from grace. He is also the sole bread winner and absence of any parents will cause enormous difficulty and hardship to the family.
