A senior police officer has praised his team and the island’s Immigration Service after a man was jailed for his role in a visa fraud that exploited vulnerable victims.

The Isle of Man Constabulary launched Operation Helios in February 2023 following reports of a breach of the immigration system.

This week, 26-year-old Sagar Joon, of Berwick Road, Hayes, Middlesex, was sentenced to three years and five months in custody at the Court of General Gaol Delivery.

He had previously pleaded guilty to breaching immigration law by conspiring to facilitate unlawful entry into the Isle of Man.

Operation Helios was a CID-led investigation into an organised crime group that targeted the island’s immigration system. The group created fake job offers in the care sector, falsifying offer letters said to be signed by genuine care home managers. These documents were then used to obtain employment confirmations, certificates of entry, and visas.

After sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer Chief Inspector Steven Berry issued a statement and released a photo of Joon.

He said: ‘Operation Helios was launched in February 2023. It was a complex and challenging investigation led by CID, working closely with colleagues from the Isle of Man Immigration Service.

‘This conviction is testament to the hard work and dedication of all those officers and partner agencies involved. Our shared commitment is to safeguard vulnerable individuals and to ensure that the Isle of Man remains a safe and secure place to live, aligned with our Securing Our Island strategy.’

The court heard that Joon was part of a scheme that charged victims up to £25,000 for non-existent jobs, leaving families stranded with little money and no support.

One victim, a woman from India, described her ordeal as ‘hell’.

In a statement read by prosecutor James Robinson, she said: ‘When we arrived on the island we were told to stay in a small one-bedroom apartment. We had no heating for five or six months and had to sleep on the floor. We depended on the local Indian community for food and support.

‘It was hell and we were abandoned completely in a new country with nothing. It was so depressing for me to watch from the flat window everyone living their lives. It felt like I was in prison myself.’

The woman later reported her situation to police and immigration officers despite fearing deportation and has since settled on the island.

Between March 2022 and June 2023, Joon and others created fake job offers and falsified certificates of entry through a sham company, Destiny Manpower Consultancy, registered at Demesne Road, Douglas.

The court heard Joon told the victim he could secure a visa for £25,000. When she discovered the certificate was fake and that no job existed, she was allegedly offered £12,500 to return to India and remain silent.

Joon was arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 16 last year and has spent more than 16 months on remand.

In addition to his prison term, he was made subject to a five-year exclusion order banning him from the Isle of Man. On release, he will be taken to an immigration detention centre in the UK before being deported to India.