Bogus websites, staged protests and pretend atheists: Inside the fake asylum industry

Inside the Manufactured Asylum Framework

Asylum seekers and their consultants are employing inventive methods to fabricate their cases, from misleading online platforms to orchestrating demonstrations and inventing personal identities. This has led to the emergence of a deceptive system, where migrants are incentivized to present false narratives to secure residency. The initial segment of our covert investigation revealed how individuals can pay for guidance on simulating homosexuality as a basis for asylum, highlighting the extent of this practice.

The Undercover Encounter

During a late evening session in early April, our operative visited a London office near Mile End Road. There, Zahid Hasan Akhand, presenting himself as a barrister, provided a detailed walkthrough of how to mislead the Home Office. He outlined three pathways for someone in the reporter’s position: persecution due to sexual orientation, religious convictions, or political beliefs. Akhand claimed he would manage the legal aspects, while the reporter was to choose the narrative they wished to pursue.

“Everyone is being successful, God willing,” Akhand stated. “If you listen and get the evidence arranged properly, it will be successful.”

Each route required meticulous preparation. For £1,500, Akhand promised to assist with “preparing your application, preparing you for the interview, taking repeated mock interviews.” However, the reporter would need to generate supporting materials to appear genuine. Akhand suggested connecting with individuals who could help create these documents, costing between £2,000 and £3,000, depending on the chosen path.

The Fraudulent Strategies

For the atheist claim, the plan involved generating social media content that criticized Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. Akhand claimed that “religious clerics will start making comments threatening to kill you,” thereby validating the claim. He also recommended using AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to draft articles for atheist publications. The reporter would attend gatherings of former Muslims to amplify the narrative, as “this is not the age of posts anymore, it is the age of live videos.”

“You would say that you became an atheist after coming here. You were not one in Bangladesh,” Akhand said.

The gay route was deemed simpler, requiring evidence like club memberships and a fabricated partner. “If you go to those associations, you will not get caught out,” Akhand noted. “Most of the people there are not gay.” He argued that the political route was more complex, demanding a credible case against the applicant’s homeland. “For gay cases, it’s private, but politics and atheism are public,” he explained, suggesting that the former is easier to manage.

Akhand, who obtained his barrister qualification in 2022, lacks a formal practice license. This detail raises questions about the credibility of the legal guidance he provides. Despite this, he assured the reporter that a well-constructed case would succeed, regardless of the applicant’s actual beliefs or past actions. “There is no way to know who is an atheist and who is not…You just told me that you are not an atheist, which means you are not an atheist,” he said, underscoring the lack of verification in the process.