LONDON: A former British Airways supervisor is on the run in India after fleeing the UK having been accused of a £3 million (Rs 31 crore) immigration scam.
The man had been working as a BA check-in supervisor at Heathrow Terminal 5 where he is alleged to have accepted £25,000 (Rs 26 lakh) as bribes per head over a period of five years to allow Indian citizens in London onto BA flights to Canada without valid visas.
Upon arrival in Canada the Indians immediately made asylum claims. The man fled to India with his partner, who was working in BA ground services, after he was arrested in UK on Jan 6 and bailed for the offence. BA has since sacked both members of staff.
UK police are working with the Indian authorities to track down the pair and extradite them back to Britain to face charges.
The man is understood to have multiple homes in India, presumably paid for using his multi-million-pound income from the racket.
A source told TOI: “The scam was to help Indians get to Canada — not into the UK — as they had the correct documentation to be in the UK.”
The Indians had either flown to UK on BA flights on short-term visitor visas with the sole goal of entering Canada to claim asylum or they were Indian asylum seekers in Britain who were worried their claims would get rejected and they would be deported.
The man had been working as a BA check-in supervisor at Heathrow Terminal 5 where he is alleged to have accepted £25,000 (Rs 26 lakh) as bribes per head over a period of five years to allow Indian citizens in London onto BA flights to Canada without valid visas.
Upon arrival in Canada the Indians immediately made asylum claims. The man fled to India with his partner, who was working in BA ground services, after he was arrested in UK on Jan 6 and bailed for the offence. BA has since sacked both members of staff.
UK police are working with the Indian authorities to track down the pair and extradite them back to Britain to face charges.
The man is understood to have multiple homes in India, presumably paid for using his multi-million-pound income from the racket.
A source told TOI: “The scam was to help Indians get to Canada — not into the UK — as they had the correct documentation to be in the UK.”
The Indians had either flown to UK on BA flights on short-term visitor visas with the sole goal of entering Canada to claim asylum or they were Indian asylum seekers in Britain who were worried their claims would get rejected and they would be deported.
The suspect would direct the Indian passport holders to his BA check-in desk and then override the system, confirming he had seen proof of a Canada visa.
A source told The Times: “He ensured that they came to his check-in desk and then made sure he was rostered to be at the boarding gate too. We have a lot of people who connect from inbound Indian flights onto outbound Canadian flights and he claimed it was useful him being at the gate because he was bilingual.”
Canadian authorities raised the alarm after they noticed a pattern of Indians arriving off BA flights from London heading to Toronto and Vancouver and then claiming asylum upon arrival, the Sun said.