Immigration raid on Newtown Indian restaurant
Immigration officers raided an award-winning Indian restaurant in Mid Wales, ordering diners to leave before quizzing staff. Immigration officers raided an award-winning Indian restaurant in Mid Wales, ordering diners to leave before quizzing staff. Mahfuz Raha, manager at Preem Indian Cuisine in Newtown, said officers from the UK Border Agency swooped on his restaurant and ordered customers who were eating to leave. He claimed about 100 customers were ordered to leave at about 5.30pm yesterday while eight staff had their documentation checked. He said one female member of staff had to be taken to hospital suffering from shock and no staff were found in breach of immigration laws.
Immigration officers raided an award-winning Indian restaurant in Mid Wales, ordering diners to leave before quizzing staff.
Mahfuz Raha, manager at Preem Indian Cuisine in Newtown, said officers from the UK Border Agency swooped on his restaurant and ordered customers who were eating to leave.
He claimed about 100 customers were ordered to leave at about 5.30pm yesterday while eight staff had their documentation checked.
He said one female member of staff had to be taken to hospital suffering from shock and no staff were found in breach of immigration laws.
"When they came to the Indian restaurant they tried to take everyone with them," he said.
"A woman ended up in hospital because she was so shocked. The restaurant closed for two hours and about 100 customers had to leave."
Sam Eversden, spokesman for the UK Border Agency, confirmed officers visited a number of premises in Newtown yesterday afternoon.
The Preem was highly commended in the prestigious Veetee Tiffin Cup competition, which is held each year to find the best South Asian restaurant in the UK.
Former Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik, currently a contestant in ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, nominated it in 2009.
