Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Gang jailed in UK over sham marriage scam for South Asian men

A gang made up of Pakistani and Lithuanian origin men and women have been jailed for their role in organising sham marriages of at least 13 men, including one from India, for a European visa.

Ayaz Khan was jailed for six years and his estranged wife, Jurgita Pavlovskyte, for five years at the Old Bailey court in London as the ringleaders of the gang that organised fake weddings for at least 11 'grooms' from Pakistan, and one each from India and Bangladesh with brides from Lithuania.


Other members of the gang, Muhammad Saqlain, Diana Stankevic, Irfan Farooq and Sheikh Ahmad, were handed down sentences ranging between 18 months and three years.

"This was an organised criminal operation, and not the genuine enterprise Pavlovskyte and Khan made it out to be," said assistant director David Fairclough from the UK's Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team.

The gang flew Lithuanian women into the UK to marry men from South Asia, who had no "leave to remain" in the UK or whose "leave to remain" was due to expire soon.

The sham weddings were marketed as business deals costing around 3,000 euros each, with the brides aged 18 to 25 arriving from Eastern Europe for the ceremony and departing shortly afterwards with their share of the fee.

As a European Union (EU) citizen, their spouses would then be entitled to residence in the UK.

The Immigration Enforcements CFI team found that payments made into the accounts of the suspects coincided with marriages which would go on to aid applications for residency submitted to the UK Home Office.

More For You

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

FILE PHOTO: A mother and daughter sit atop the Covid memorial wall on September 9, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

THE Covid inquiry has started examining how the pandemic affected care services for older and disabled people, with families describing the crisis as one of the worst failures of the pandemic.

Nearly 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022, with many deaths happening in the first weeks of the outbreak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media during a visit to RAF Valley, on Anglesey in north-west Wales, on June 27, 2025. PAUL CURRIE/Pool via REUTERS

Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday (29) they were appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

During their show on Saturday (28), the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defense Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan floods

A flooded street near Station Road after heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025.

Getty

Pakistan reports 45 deaths from flash floods and rain in monsoon onset

AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.

The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Weather Alert: June Heatwave to Hit 34°C, Breaking Records

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record

iStock

UK set for one of the hottest June days with highs of 34°C

Key points

  • Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
  • Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
  • Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
  • Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler

Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.

Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Probing all angles in Air India crash, including sabotage: Minister

INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.

All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.

Keep ReadingShow less