14 arrested in dawn raid on sham marriages
9:06am Monday 24th September 2012 in News
FOURTEEN people allegedly involved in sham marriages were arrested during dawn raids in Bolton.
The UK Border Agency and police swooped on several addresses in the Derby Street area in Daubhill on Tuesday.
They burst into homes at 7am and made several arrests.
It is understood that those arrested are linked to fake marriages which could be part of a national scam.
One of the properties visited was a flat above a row of shops near Willows Lane.
Shopkeepers did not see the raids as many were closed when the swoop took place.
One said: “We have heard about what happened. I am shocked that the raids took place so early in the morning.
“It was all over by the time we opened and I only found out about it the next day.
“I don’t really know the people who live there. They come in here to collect their post, but it is a different person every time.”
Another added: “We were closed at the time, but people have been talking about it. I don’t really know what has happened.”
A spokesman for UKBA said: “We can confirm that during an operation on Tuesday, 14 arrests were made in Bolton and one in London.”
They declined to release further details as investigations are still ongoing.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/9945387.14_arrested_in_dawn_raid_on_sham_marriages/
