Indians and Pakistanis in Cyprus arrange sham marriages for illegal migration to Europe, 15 arrested
The investigation by Europol's Operational Task Force (OTF) revealed that the network was also involved in human trafficking and money laundering activities.
Indians and Pakistanis arrested in Cyprus: European police said on Sunday that they have busted a criminal network in Cyprus that facilitates illegal migration to the European Union through sham marriages. This led to the arrest of 15 people, including Indians and Pakistanis.
The investigation by Europol's Operational Task Force (OTF) found that the network was also involved in human trafficking and money laundering, and forced victims into marriages of convenience for immigration purposes.
“The suspects allegedly recruited Latvian and Portuguese nationals and facilitated their travel to Cyprus, where the women entered into arranged marriages with third-country nationals,” the European Police Bureau said in a statement.
Thereafter, these suspects, mainly Indian, Pakistani and Portuguese citizens, arranged all logistics, including purchasing airline tickets and obtaining passports and other required documents.
The arrested persons are being held by the Larnaca District Court in Cyprus until February 7. A total of 133 marriages of convenience have been concluded between Portuguese and Latvian women and Indian and Pakistani men, according to the investigations led by the OTF.
The mock wedding ceremonies took place in town halls around Aradippou, Livadia and Nicosia, allowing the non-EU nationals to obtain third-country residence permits, which they could then use to travel to other European countries.
The two main organizers were arrested in Latvia and Portugal and 13 others were arrested in Cyprus, Europol said, adding that four of them were high-value targets.
(With IANS inputs)