British Airways boss is on the run in India accused of orchestrating five-year £3million immigration scam from Heathrow
A BRITISH Airways supervisor is on the run in India accused of orchestrating a £3 million immigration scam over around five years – from his check-in desk at Heathrow.
The suspect, 24, who worked at Terminal 5is alleged to have charged customers £25,000 a time to exploit a loophole to let them fly across the BA network without crucial visa documents.
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Police work together with colleagues India to try to track down the man, who disappeared with his BA ground services partner after being arrested and released on bail.
As part of his job, he arranged for clients, most from India, to fly to Britain on temporary visitor visas, where he arranged for them to fly elsewhere.
Other customers were British asylum seekers who were afraid of being sent back to their country of origin.
After years, Canadian authorities sounded the alarm BA flights Unpleasant Toronto or Vancouver upon which arrivals would immediately apply for asylum.
An investigation revealed that they had all been checked in by the same man who had falsely verified that the travelers had an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to enter a chosen country.
An eTA can only be applied for by a passenger in the country of origin and would have been rejected without the assistance of the BA official.
He was picked up on January 6 but was released on bail before flying to India Heathrowwhere he has purchased several homes, it is said.
A source told The Sun last night: “He exploited a loophole in the law, knowing that immigration checks are no longer carried out by officials but left to airline staff.
“By entering incorrect data and claiming that eTA documents were secure, he took people to countries they were not allowed to enter in the first place.
“Upon arrival, the fake passengers tore up their documents and applied for asylum.
“Many flew to Britain to pay him to get them to Canada.
“Others had been stuck in the British immigration system for ten years and feared being sent back to their country of origin.
“It was an ingenious plan that has made him millions over the years.
“No one yet knows the full extent of what happened.”
BA sources said the airline had terminated the contracts of the regulator and its partner.
A spokesperson said: “We are assisting authorities with their investigation.”
The Home office claimed it would be “inappropriate” to comment while an investigation is underway.
The Met And Border Force were contacted for comment.
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