‘BUSINESSES should follow the rules’, insists the Barrow MP, after suspected illegal employees were found working at an Indian restaurant following an immigration raid.

The Taj Mahal restaurant in Barrow could face a fine of up to £60,000 after three people suspected of being illegal employees were found working in the premises.

On the evening of October 7 2022, an immigration enforcement visit was conducted at in Cavendish Street business alongside Cumbria Police.

A spokesman for the Home Office said two Afghan men were arrested, one on suspicion of being an illegal entrant and another for working in breach of their conditions to be in the UK. They are now on bail.

A Bangladeshi man was also arrested on suspicion of overstaying his leave to remain in the UK. He has been detained, pending a decision on his removal from the UK.

A civil penalty notice was served upon the restaurant. It may be liable for a civil penalty of up to £60,000 - £20,000 per illegal worker - if they cannot evidence that the correct right to work checks have been conducted.

A spokesman for the Home Office said the enforcement visits are ‘intelligence led’ and the public rightly expects police investigate each potential breach thoroughly and they ‘make no apology for this’.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government is tackling illegal immigration and the harm it causes by removing those with no right to be in the UK. We continue to work with law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal migration in all its forms.

“Our Nationality and Borders Act will fix the broken system; making it fair to those in genuine need and firm on those who seek to abuse it.”

Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness, said businesses should adhere to rules surrounding UK’s employment laws.

He said: “Businesses should take note of the law around employing people without the appropriate visas to work in the UK.

“These rules are in place to protect businesses, consumers and the individuals employed, and breaking them can result in a hefty fine of up to £60,000 per illegal employee.”

The raid comes just weeks after The Shiny Hand Car Wash in Barrow was slapped with a £15,000 fine after it was raided by immigration enforcement officers in June.

The Home Office said one Iraqi national and one Iranian national were working illegally at the car wash, in Roose Road.

READ MORE: Barrow's Shiny Car Wash fined for employing 'illegal' workers

Fahmida Shamim launched the Taj Mahal alongside her brother Fahsin Ahmed in June.

The pair was inspired to set up the business after their parents Abida Bahar and Masud Ahmed, ran Mithali, latterly known as the Mitalee, in Dalton Road for 25 years.

Fahmida left the Taj Mahal in July after a month at the helm of the business.

In response to the Indian restaurant’s recent immigration raid, she said: “It was brought to my attention that one person had been arrested and two others had been questioned and later released, however, I was only informed of this a couple days later as I resigned from the Taj Mahal three months ago in July 2022.

READ MORE: Doors of Taj Mahal Restaurant swing open in Barrow

“My intentions from the beginning were to construct the Taj Mahal from the ground up alongside my partners and once it was up and running I was going to hand it off to Taj Mahal management. As I decided to remove myself, I am no longer involved with the Taj Mahal and I remain aloof from the immigrants’ implications.”

The Mail has attempted to contact the current bosses of Taj Mahal.