At least 3,000 Indians have entered UK by using fake Portuguese Passport

Immigration Beuro .

Thousands of Indians entered Britain illegally using fake documents bought from criminals exploiting an immigration loophole exposed by The Daily Mail on Sunday last week.The forged papers entitle holders to obtain EU passports using a bizarre but entirely legitimate back door which gives those living in former Portuguese colonies the right to come to Europe.

An estimated 3,000 Indians have entered the UK in this manner with the help of a gang operating in Lisbon, London and Leicester, paying the criminals up to £22,000 a time.

 MPs demanded that David Cameron force Portugal to end the loophole. Tory MP Bill Cash said: ‘This blatant abuse needs to be closed down immediately.’

Under Portuguese law, Indians born in Goa, Diu and Daman before 1961, or their children and grandchildren, can apply for Portuguese passports because these were colonies of Portugal until that year.

As a result, 20,000 Indians obtained Portuguese passports in India, and came straight to Britain without even setting foot in Portugal.

Now we can reveal that Portuguese police and the UK’s Home Office and National Crime Agency have gathered evidence indicating that 3,000 Indians obtained the passports with false birth and marriage certificates provided by the gang.

In December Home Office, NCA investigators, Leicestershire Police and Portuguese immigration officers raided seven properties in Leicester and one in London. A suspect of Pakistani origin, described as a linchpin in the gang, was arrested in Leicester.

The man, who has not been identified, allegedly received thousands of pounds to provide clients with authentic Portuguese documents based on fraudulent papers. He is to be extradited to Portugal.

At least 20,000 people have evaded strict checks on non-EU residents coming to the UK after obtaining Portuguese passports in India which give them full rights to live and work here. Above, a queue outside the Portuguese consulate in Goa

The raids were linked to three arrests in Lisbon of men believed to be from the same group. Investigators believe similar gangs operate in Europe and India.

The Portuguese government has introduced new measures to stamp out the fraud. All birth and marriage certificates put forward by Indian applicants now have to be checked against originals at Indian register offices.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We want to restore a sense of fairness to our immigration system.’