Illegal Indian, Pakistani and Afghan workers at Lahore Restaurant in Marylebone, London arrested

Acting on intelligence, the UKBA officers visited Lahore Restaurant on Gateforth Street on Saturday, September 1, and questioned the staff to check if the eleven workers had the right to work in the UK.

Following the checks, the UKBA officials arrested one 47-year-old Indian man, seven Pakistani men aged between 23 and 37 and three Afghan men aged between 24 and 26.

The Indian worker and six of the Pakistanis had overstayed their visas, while all the Afghans had entered the country illegally. In addition, one 24-year-old Pakistani was working in breach of his visa.

Ten have been detained pending their removal from the UK whilst the Indian has been placed on immigration bail while his case is progressed, the UKBA has said.

The restaurant employer faces a notice warning a total fine of up to £110,000 -- £10,000 per illegal worker which will have to be paind unless the employer can prove to the UKBA that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out.

The operation was part of a nationwide campaign to crack down on those who have over-stayed their visas. Since the campaign began in May more than 2,000 over-stayers who were living in London have been arrested or detained.

“We're carrying out operations like this almost every day in London, and where we find people who are in the UK illegally we will seek to remove them,” said Steve Fisher from the border control agency.

'Illegal working has a serious impact on communities, undermining legitimate businesses and taking jobs from those who are genuinely allowed to work,” he added

The UKBA said it is willing to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be done on staff, but those who do break the law will face heavy fines.