The gang in Govanhill, Glasgow, was mostly made up of Romanians. Many have been deported or are being held

An organised crime network that fraudulently secured almost £1 million of public money has been broken up after an international police operation.

The benefit and tax fraud was taking place on a staggering scale in Govanhill, Glasgow, an immigration official said. A major operation involving Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency, the Home Office, HMRC, Border Force and the Department for Work and Pensions found a series of bogus companies had been established in the neighbourhood to facilitate and provide cover for the fraudulent scheme.

The Home Office has confirmed that dozens of Romanians have been removed from the UK in recent weeks in connection with the exercise, called Operation Mighty.

Ian Tyldesley, head of immigration enforcement for Scotland, said: “HMRC identified fraudulent child tax