British Airways worker on the run over 5 year immigration scam worth £3m

27 February 2024 , 14:30

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The alleged scammer worked for the British airline (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A British Airways worker suspected of being the mastermind behind a £3million immigration scam for five years, may have carried the crime from behind his check-in desk.

The 24-year-old suspect, who worked at Terminal 5, is now reportedly on the run in India, after allegedly charging people £25,000 each to abuse a loophole in the company's booking system that allowed them to fly without visa documents. The alarm was finally raised by officials in Canada, when for years passengers arriving on BA flights would immediately claim asylum.

An investigation found all those making the claims were checked in by the same man who verified their documents. The staff member who was the prime suspect was arrested at the beginning of the year and bailed but is now believed to have fled the country himself from Heathrow.

The man is believed to have fled the country (Getty Images)

A source told The Sun: “He exploited a loophole knowing that immigration checks are no longer carried out by officials but are left to airline staff. By inputting wrong data, and claiming eTA documents had been secured, he got people to countries they had no permission to enter in the first place.

“On arrival, the bogus passengers would shred their documents and claim asylum. Many jetted to Britain to pay him to get them to Canada. Others had been stuck in the UK immigration system for up to 10 years, and feared being sent back to their country of origin. It was an ingenious plan which has made him millions over the years.

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BA sources say the airline had terminated the contracts of the supervisor and his partner. A spokesman said: “We’re assisting the authorities with their investigation.”

Kelly-Ann Mills