An Indian national and his Philippine accomplice have been jailed for four years each for running what immigration officials described as the largest ever "passport forgery factory" in Britain.
The two are Leicester-based Mandip Sharma, 34, from India and Brando Sibayan, 38, from the Philippines. They will be deported to their countries of origin after completing their jail sentences.
At the Leicester Crown Court, the two pleaded guilty to possession of equipment for making false identity documents.
They were caught when officers from the UK Border Agency's East Midlands office paid a routine visit to question Sibayan, a suspected illegal immigrant, at his home in Leicester in January.
On searching the house, officers found eight boxes of laminated documents, passport covers and a laminating machine. The documents included 4,000 counterfeit passports for several European Union countries including the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy.
Guillotine machines, forgery stamps, driving licences, national insurance cards and other forms of identification were also discovered.
Andy Radcliffe, a spokesman of the UK Border Agency's foreign national crime team, said: "We expect foreign nationals to play by the rules or we will take swift action".
"This case sends out a clear message that we will not hesitate to prosecute and deport those causing harm to communities," the spokesman said.
"Organised criminals provide forged passports to help illegal immigrants get jobs in the black economy or to obtain
public services. But identity cards for foreign nationals will prevent this sort of abuse in the future by locking
individuals down to one identity through their facial image and fingerprints," he said.
Another case involving Indian nationals is currently being heard in the Isleworth Crown Court, west London, where three Indian illegal immigrants have been accused of submitting hundreds of bogus visa applications to the Home Office and allowing foreign nationals to enter Britain.
The three Indians are Jatinder Sharma, 44 and reportedly his two wives, Neelam Sharma, 39, and Rakhi Shahi, 32. All the
three allegedly entered Britain using false documents.
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