Eight illegal immigrants from Pakistan and India have been arrested in Gretna, a town in Scotland, in an operation targeting sham weddings.
The BBC reports that a sham marriage occurs when a non-European national marries someone from the European Economic Area (EEA) as a means of attempting to gain long-term residency and the right to work and claim benefits in UK.
According to the report, the immigration officers have arrested five would-be grooms and three guests who were due to attend the ceremonies at Gretna registration office.
Home Office immigration enforcement team said that they all had travelled to Gretna from areas in England including Bradford, Manchester, Southall, Blackburn and Wolverhampton.
