The bride who didn't even know the groom's name: Eleven jailed over sham wedding racket masterminded by former teacher

When the blushing bride failed to recall the name of the groom she was marrying, it raised a few eyebrows.
But when it emerged the couple could barely communicate because they did not share a common language, it was downright suspicious.
Last night 11 people were behind bars after a sham marriage racket was smashed.
It was masterminded by Portuguese-born Maria Loureiro, 54, who styled herself as a matchmaker and wedding fixer.
The former teacher used her contacts to fly in nine women from Lisbon to marry nine Indian men at register offices in Blackburn, Wrexham and Chester, and was said to have made £27,000.
The men had all entered Britain legally but their visas had expired or were due to, and they faced having to return to India. By marrying a European Union citizen in the UK they would have been given the right to remain in the country.
The Indian men were contacted by a middleman who agreed to provide them with brides for a fee and the women were then flown into the UK. They had never left Portugal before.
Loureiro provided them with false documents, wage slips, national insurance numbers and utility bills and arranged the weddings.
The ‘brides’ wore traditional Indian clothing jewellery, and held a bunch of flowers.
The day after the ceremony the women flew back to Portugal, while the men made formal citizenship applications to the Home Office.

The racket was smashed after Loureiro was seen at a number of ceremonies acting as an interpreter. She gave false names and on one occasion wore a blonde wig.
Staff at the Blackburn and Darwen register office became suspicious and raised the alarm with the UK Border Agency.
Agency staff watched as Loureiro met bogus brides arriving at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Strangers: One of the bogus ceremonies at Blackburn register office in July last year

They also saw her meeting prospective grooms who paid between £6,500 and £9,000 for the bogus marriages.
Nick Wood of the UK Border Agency said: ‘We set up surveillance outside Blackburn register office. When they came out the groom would get in the front of the car and the bride in the back, there was no intimacy.

‘On one occasion the bride didn’t know the groom’s name.’
The Border Agency carried out raids at homes in Bolton and Loureiro’s London home last year and arrested the nine bogus bridegrooms.

Behind bars: Among those jailed today were Yunusbhai Yakubbhai Duka and Sajauddin Badruddin Mansuri, who were both sentenced to 16 months

Jailed: Amjadhushen Dilavar Patel and Mehulkumar Arunbhai Patel were both sentenced to 16 months

At Manchester Crown Court, Loureiro said she moved to England with her husband and two children and joined the racket after her marriage broke down.
She was jailed for 45 months after she pleaded guilty to conspiring to assist unlawful immigration. Company director Ilias Neki, 46, the conduit between the Indian men and Loureiro, admitted similar charges and was jailed for 32 months.
Sajauddin Mansuri, 27 was sentenced to 16 months. Mehulkumar Patel, 23, to 16 months, Yunusbhai Duka, 30, to 16 months, Faisal Chand, 25, to 15 months, Inayathussain Tailor, 26, to 16 months, Bhavesh Bapodora, 22, to 18 months, Amjadhushen Patel to 16 months, Safvan Mirja, 23, to 16 months, Mitesh Panjari, 25, to 13 months and two weeks. Andreia Nogueira will be sentenced next month.
 

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