Paris, France — French authorities have arrested a Tamil couple in Bondy after uncovering an elaborate welfare fraud scheme that investigators say reflects a wider pattern of similar offences across Europe and the United Kingdom. The couple, originally from Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, had legally married but orchestrated a fake divorce to unlawfully collect multiple government benefits.
According to police, the man and woman presented themselves to the French welfare system as two separate single parents living independently. They each registered a different address, enabling them to receive separate housing benefits in addition to support offered to single parents. While their documents showed two different households, the couple had in fact continued living together in the wife’s residence. The husband, meanwhile, allegedly rented out his own registered property to undocumented migrants, collecting illegal income that went unreported.
Authorities say the pair secretly combined the proceeds from housing assistance, single-parent benefits, child-support funds and the unregistered rent payments, amounting to a significant financial gain over time. The fraudulent operation came to an abrupt end when French police carried out a surprise raid at around three o’clock in the morning last week. Officers found the couple living together under the same roof and arrested them on the spot. Both are now facing charges related to welfare fraud, misuse of public resources and unlawful rental activities.
Investigators emphasise that this case is not an isolated incident but part of a growing concern over similar fraud schemes involving a segment of migrants in France, Britain, Germany and several other European nations. Welfare manipulation, fabricated divorces, false household arrangements, tax evasion and the concealment of commercial income have all been reported in recent years, often involving small family-run businesses or individuals operating within tight-knit communities.
Authorities in the UK and France have also expanded investigations into Tamil-owned off-licences, grocery shops, takeaway restaurants and delivery companies, where cash-based transactions and unregistered employees have made financial monitoring particularly challenging. While only a minority engage in such practices, officials warn that the actions of a few risk damaging the reputation of the wider Tamil diaspora, which otherwise maintains strong ties to professionalism, entrepreneurship and community development.
Community advocates say the incident underscores the need for greater awareness about legal obligations in host countries, as well as the long-term consequences of welfare abuse. The case in Bondy, they argue, should serve as a reminder that fraud, however sophisticated, eventually catches up with perpetrators, and that the fallout extends beyond individual punishment to the broader image of the community itself.
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