Bindi brides recruited for marriage scam

11:23am Thursday 3rd March 2005

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A woman who recruited young brides in shopping centres for bogus marriages that helped Indian men skip immigration procedures has been found guilty at Isleworth Crown Court.

Jaswinder Gill, 41, arranged marriages for Indian men wishing to enter or remain in the UK. She recruited young British Asian women to take part in the scam, and was paid over £10,000 a time. The marriages took place in Britain and in India.

Working with her husband Dharshan Gill, 40, Jaswinder procured young British brides by promising them temporary work as models in India.

They were both arrested in 2004, after the Met's Operation Maxim uncovered the scale of the fraud.

Detective Sergeant Gerri Mannion, who led the investigation to arrest Gill, said: "These marriages were a charade - arranged between perfect strangers who were coached by Gill to convince registrars of their intentions to live as man and wife in the UK."

Speaking about the money the couple made DS Mannion added: "We will probably never know the true extent of her activities, but we certainly know that she made a significant amount of money out of these marriages. Over £250,000 was channelled through one of her bank account in the last few years alone."

Jaswinder Gill ran the business from her home in Hillingdon, West London. She enticed young women into the scam with promises of a career in modelling or beauty. She also solicited for business by handing out cards at London shopping centres.

Amongst the cases put before the court was that of a young London Asian woman in her early twenties. The woman was introduced to Jaswinder Gill in 2000 following a fall out with her family. Gill indicated that she could find the woman work as a model and suggested she accompany her on a trip to India.

Once in India the woman took part in a photo shoot involving what appeared to be a staged wedding. But the ceremony was in fact real, and the woman soon discovered that she had married her "co-model".

The marriage had clearly been arranged by Gill to allow the 'groom' to remain in the UK. Following the marriage Gill abandoned the woman in India.

In another similar case a young British woman was forced into marrying one of Mrs Gill's cousins in India. Gill also tried to arrange a wedding in Gravesend, London - but her bride was arrested after she failed to persuade the Registrar that the marriage was genuine.

In early 2004 an investigation was launched by the Met's Operation Maxim - which tackles organised immigration crime.

In February 2004 Jaswinder Gill and her husband Dharshan were arrested at their home in Cornwell Lane, Hillingdon.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, head of the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate said: "This prosecution should send out a clear warning to anyone thinking of engaging in immigration crime. This is just one of a number of cases successfully investigated by the Met's Operation Maxim."

Jaswinder Gill, who was commonly known by the nickname 'Rita' was further found guilty of Perverting the Course of Justice after the jury heard how she offered money to witnesses in an attempt to persuade them not to give evidence against her.

Her co-conspirator Fasil Rashid was also found guilty. Mrs Gill's husband, Dharshan Gill, and two other men Akash Khanna and Ahmed Zubair pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.

All five are due to be sentenced on March 25.