London, Jan. 25: Another case of alleged bogus marriages involving Indians has hit the courts at a time when the Tory leader, Michael Howard, has made immigration, especially illegal entry and bogus marriages, his party?s central issue in the forthcoming general election.

A court today heard how Jaswinder Gill, 41, was paid thousands of pounds to organise the scam weddings by taking impressionable young Indian women to India and promising them work as models in the country?s burgeoning fashion and beauty industry.

Instead, the women were then persuaded to take part in bogus marriages by the ?manipulative? Jaswinder Gill, prosecuting counsel Robin Johnson told Isleworth Crown Court in west London.

He added that Gill received ?11,000 to arrange one wedding, while the ?bride? involved in the scheme was told she would get just ?1,000.

Jaswinder, of Cornwell Lane, Hayes, west London, denies assisting illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. But she has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist illegal entry and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to a member state.

This case is now following a familiar pattern. Some of the marriages took place in Britain and some in India, the court heard.Johnson said Jaswinder was the ?driving, organisational force behind the whole enterprise, from start to finish?.

Once again, the alleged racket was apparently a family business. Gill?s husband, Darshan Gill, 40, denies assisting illegal entry into the UK. But he, too, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist illegal entry and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to a member state.

The family network extended further.Iqbal Dhaliwal, 38, a cousin of Darshan Gill who lives at the couple?s house in Hayes, denied conspiracy to assist illegal entry and conspiracy to assist or unlawful immigration.

Others who have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges include Fasil Rashid, 31, of Acton, west London, and Ahmed Zubair, 20, of Hillingdon, west London.

Johnson gave an account in court of the alleged experiences of Manveer Bhatti, a woman in her early 20s who claims she was involved in the scam and was addicted to heroin when Jaswinder met her.

Jaswinder befriended Manveer and ?she was told there might be modelling work for her for which she would be handsomely paid?. Jaswinder encouraged her not to contact her ?strict, honourable? parents and organised a trip to India.

When they were there, she took part in what Jaswinder allegedly said was a mock wedding as part of a modelling shoot. Manveer did not know the man she was marrying, had never spoken to him and was high on heroin at the time, the court heard.

The Gills then abandoned Manveer, whose parents had to fly from the UK to collect their daughter from India. Manveer had nothing further to do with her new husband.

Manveer told the court that she was to receive ?1,000 for her involvement.Much the same thing apparently happened with another woman, Sandeep Sangha, who was asked by Jaswinder to marry one of her ?cousins?. Sandeep thought this was a joke but was then threatened with two men who Jaswinder said, ?could do anything they like with her?.

Sandeep was so distressed that she called her family, who arranged for a relative to intervene and get her back to England. Yet another woman who was involved in the scheme, Wasilya Sayid, came across Jaswinder when she was handing out cards in Walthamstow shopping centre in London, the court heard. According to Johnson, the cards said: ??Make money fast?, words to that effect.?

Jaswinder told her that she was looking for girls to work in the beauty trade. Wasilya agreed to take part in a sham marriage with a Sikh man in Gravesend and was paid a ?100 deposit, with ?1,400 to follow on completion.

Johnson also gave details of the involvement of Rajinder Mattu, who, together with her groom, convinced a registrar in Leamington, near Coventry, that their love was real and successfully tied the knot. On this occasion, Jaswinder received ?11,000 from the bridegroom for arranging the marriage.

_Another woman, Tanouval Phillips, who met Rashid at a Hounslow nightclub, needed money and was told that she could earn money by marrying someone. She received a ?500 deposit to marry a young Indian and was offered a further ?500 on completion, which was later increased to ?800.

The Indian man had wanted to get political asylum before he realised that he had a better chance of getting in if he was to get married.

?What this case is about is a large number of marriages which were shams,? Johnson told the court.?They were a charade arranged between young women who were complete strangers to the men they were marrying, these marriages arranged between these defendants and others.? The case continues.

Britain has, incidentally, transferred India to the list of ?safe countries?, whose nationals have lost the right of staying in the UK to pursue appeals if their application for asylum is rejected.