<p>Acting on intelligence, officers from the Border Agency's Thames Valley immigration crime team stopped the wedding at the Oxford Register Office at around midday on Tuesday.<br /><br />The would-be bride, a 19-year-old Polish national, and 'groom' Singh Dhanju, 30, were both arrested on suspicion of perjury.<br /><br />Two witnesses were also arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration.<br />All four were questioned by police and immigration officers. The teenage bride arrived wearing a flowing layered white dress with a satin veil covering her head, while Singh Dhanju wore his best suit, a smart bow tie and a red flower in his lapel.<br /><br />Moments before the ceremony was due to start at the registrar's office, plainclothes police and immigration officers burst through the doors and arrested the two.<br /><br />The registrar's suspicions were aroused when she met the couple to discuss the wedding ahead of the big day.<br /><br />She called immigration officers and the trap was set by officers from Thames Valley Police and officials from the UK Border Agency.<br /><br />Terry Gibbs, head of the UK Border Agency’s Oxfordshire local immigration team, said: "We are working closely with registrars to identify marriages that may not be genuine, and where we suspect that may be the case we will investigate.<br /><br />We are committed to striking at the heart of illegal immigration and tackling those who break the rules."<br /><br />An increasing number of EU citizens are marrying non-EU foreigners to help them settle in the country and enjoy the same rights as British nationals. In 2009, 529 such fake weddings were reported.</p>
<p>Acting on intelligence, officers from the Border Agency's Thames Valley immigration crime team stopped the wedding at the Oxford Register Office at around midday on Tuesday.<br /><br />The would-be bride, a 19-year-old Polish national, and 'groom' Singh Dhanju, 30, were both arrested on suspicion of perjury.<br /><br />Two witnesses were also arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration.<br />All four were questioned by police and immigration officers. The teenage bride arrived wearing a flowing layered white dress with a satin veil covering her head, while Singh Dhanju wore his best suit, a smart bow tie and a red flower in his lapel.<br /><br />Moments before the ceremony was due to start at the registrar's office, plainclothes police and immigration officers burst through the doors and arrested the two.<br /><br />The registrar's suspicions were aroused when she met the couple to discuss the wedding ahead of the big day.<br /><br />She called immigration officers and the trap was set by officers from Thames Valley Police and officials from the UK Border Agency.<br /><br />Terry Gibbs, head of the UK Border Agency’s Oxfordshire local immigration team, said: "We are working closely with registrars to identify marriages that may not be genuine, and where we suspect that may be the case we will investigate.<br /><br />We are committed to striking at the heart of illegal immigration and tackling those who break the rules."<br /><br />An increasing number of EU citizens are marrying non-EU foreigners to help them settle in the country and enjoy the same rights as British nationals. In 2009, 529 such fake weddings were reported.</p>