A bride has been arrested and handcuffed while still in her wedding dress accused of taking part in a sham marriage to beat immigration rules.
The 21-year-old Slovak woman, wearing a full-length gown, and her 36-year-old Afghan groom were arrested at Sheffield’s register office on Monday.
Two wedding guests were also detained as the ceremony was about to start.
The arrests are part of a UK-wide crackdown by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) on suspected sham marriages.
An Agency spokesman said 53 weddings had been disrupted across the UK over the summer, leading to 118 arrests.
Its regional director Jeremy Oppenheim said they were working closely with registrars to identify marriages that may not be genuine.
“We do not expect vicars or registrars to be experts in immigration law or spotting forged documents, that’s our job.
“But if they have any suspicions about whether a relationship is genuine, we would urge them to get in touch with us.”
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