Twenty two people, including 15 Indians, have been arrested following a police crackdown on illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom, police said on Friday.
Police raided nine addresses in Indians-dominated Southall and Langley in West London and Edgware in northwest London on Thursday.
Police said the operation targeted a 'large-scale facilitation of illegal immigrants from India to the UK through abuse of the visa system.'
Counterfeit documents, false identities and more than £10,000 in cash were also seized during the raids.
Eight people were arrested on suspicion of making false instruments and facilitation of illegal immigrants into the UK while seven were arrested in connection with other immigration offences.
The raids were carried out by the Metropolitan Police operation Maxim unit, which targets immigration crime. The addresses searched were in Western Road in Southall, Mostyn Road in Edgware and London Road in Langley. These included three retail addresses -- the JK Cash and Carry, JK Fruit and Veg and a unit within Airlinks Industrial Estate in Southall.
The searches also included six residential addresses.
Among the suspects, eight people were arrested for criminal charges related to the making of false instruments and facilitation of illegal immigrants into the UK. Seven people were arrested for immigration offences.
