Tower Hamlets man, called Mujibur Rahman, a Bangladeshi trading as an "immigration adviser", and is jailed for 3 & half years for immigration offences

1650 Hrs GMT
London
Saturday
17 March 2012

The UK Borders Agency, a Home Office executive agency has released the following information, dated 12 March 2012:

East London immigration advisor jailed

12 March 2012

An immigration advisor found with dozens of fake identity documents designed to help people to enter the country illegally has been jailed for 3 and half years.

Mujibur Rahman, a 44-year-old Bangladeshi of Rounton Road E3, was arrested after the UK Border Agency's north and east London criminal and financial investigation team searched his home on 9 November 2011.

Acting on intelligence, the officers found several blank Bangladeshi passports, false British passports, a Bangladeshi High Commission stamp, £11,950 in cash and various other false documents.

Officers established that he was a registered immigration advisor working from his company Mimfa Travel Limited and London Immigration Services, based on Bethnal Green Road E3. A search warrant was executed at the business premises where a further 5 blank Bangladeshi passports were found.

The business has now been closed and Rahman's activity reported to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, which is responsible for ensuring businesses are legitimate. Investigating officers are reviewing the cases that Rahman was involved with.

Rahman appeared at Snaresbrook crown court on 17 February 2012 where he pleaded guilty to 19 immigration fraud-related charges, including possession of false documents and articles in connection with fraud. He was sentenced at the same court on Friday 9 March.

Simon Prankard, from the UK Border Agency's north and east London criminal and financial investigation team, said:

'Rahman thought he could get away with this scam but our investigation stopped him in his tracks.

'The UK Border Agency will not tolerate immigration abuse, and as an organisation we are cracking down on it all over the country. As the sentence handed out today shows, those who seek to cheat immigration laws face heavy penalties.'

The north and east London criminal and financial investigation team is a specialist unit of seconded police officers from the Metropolitan Police working alongside warranted UK Border Agency officers to investigate organised immigration crime.