11 January,2011 02:44 PM IST | | Agencies
An Indian man's plan to stage a fake marriage to a Latvian woman in Britain has been exposed after the bride-to-be was caught in bed with another man.
Irina Iljina, 22, from Latvia, was due to marry Indian national Parminder Singh, 22, on December 17, and as the husband of a European national, he would have been granted long-term UK residency and benefits.
But for suspicious UK Border Agency officers, who raided Iljina's home on the eve of her wedding, the two would have got away with it.
Iljina was found in bed with her boyfriend in what officials have described as "compromising circumstances".
The pair, who lives in Peterborough, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to breach immigration laws, and Singh also admitted a perjury charge when they appeared at Peterborough Crown Court.
The matter came to light only after the registrar, who had registered their intention to marry on November 30, notified the UK Border Agency about their behaviour.
"It's reasonable to say the compromising circumstances in which Iljina was arrested cast further serious doubt on what was an already dubious relationship," the Daily Mail quoted Sam Bullimore, UK Border Agency assistant director, as saying.
"Where we uncover suspicious marriages, we will challenge them and prosecute where appropriate," he added.
Both Singh and Iljina are due to be sentenced on January 28 at Peterborough Crown Court.
