Three men who ‘completely undermined’ the immigration system by sneaking Afghan asylum seekers into Britain using their relatives’ passports have been jailed for a total of 19 years.

Daljit Kapoor, 41, his cousin Harmit Kapoor, 42, and Davinder Chawla, 44, provided passports belonging to British Sikhs to lookalikes who donned turbans themselves to get through passport control.

Border Officials had difficulties distinguishing between the illegal immigrants and the real Sikh passport holders, who are allowed to wear turbans and beards in their passport photos.

Daljit Kapoor (left), 41, his cousin Harmit Kapoor (right), 42, provided passports belonging to British Sikhs to immigrants trying to get into Britain

Davinder Chawla, 44, was also convicted of the crime. The gang were paid more than £9,000 for each family they got into the UK

The gang were paid more than £9,000 for each family they got into the UK, smuggling nearly 70 people into the country in the £620,000 scam.

They travelled to France and hand over stolen or genuine passports to waiting immigrants and then collected them once they were safely on British soil.

The gang were caught when airline staff noticed the passports handed over at the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport did not match up the people carrying them.

The trio were trying to get 11 passengers to Luton Airport using British and fake Norwegian passports on an EasyJet flight.

More than 20 tearful relatives filled the public gallery at Inner London Crown Court as the gang were sentenced.

One sobbing woman slapped her head repeatedly as the trio were jailed.

Judge Nigel Seed QC said there is great ‘dissatisfaction’ with legal immigration into the UK, let alone illegal immigration, making this a very serious offence.

He told them: ‘The whole system of immigration is completely undermined.

‘It was a large scale operation and was for financial gain.

‘I do not consider there was any humanitarian concern - you were all acting with financial motive.’

Judge Seed QC acknowledged that Harmit was a ‘lesser cog in the wheel’ compared with the other two conspirators.

Prosecutor Alexandra Felix described the conspiracy as a ‘cynical money-making enterprise’ which allowed Afghan immigrants to enter the UK ‘masquerading as genuine passport-holders’.

Passports were used multiple times to transport 69 people to the UK, 59 of whom failed to apply for asylum and whose whereabouts are unknown, the court heard.

Financial records show thousands of pounds were credited to Chawla’s accounts between 2009 and 2014, said Miss Felix.

Davinder Chawla (left) and Daljit Kapoor (right) pictured at an earlier hearing. They travelled to France and hand over stolen or genuine passports to waiting immigrants and then collected them once they were safely on British soil

On one trip back to London Heathrow, the court was told how a family of five asylum seekers were abandoned by the gang in Terminal 1 before they claimed asylum with authorities.

The trio admitted conspiring to help asylum seekers get into the country illegally, but Harmit Kapoor and Chawla disputed the level of involvement they had in the plot.

Harmit admitted booking flights between June 8 and June 21, 2014, for the asylum seekers to get to Britain, and claimed his role was limited to providing passports to the alleged asylum-seekers.

Father-of-three Chawla, who admitted hiring a vehicle to facilitate their entry into the country when he drove to Paris, said he desperately needed the money and was just carrying out Daljit’s instructions.

More than 20 tearful relatives filled the public gallery at Inner London Crown Court as the gang were sentenced

Daljit claimed he did not benefit from the conspiracy to the extent that the prosecution contended.

Harmit and Chawla’s basis of plea was rejected by Judge Nigel Seed QC, who described their accounts as ‘wholly unreliable’, but agreed to sentence Daljit on the basis that he was involved in ‘facilitating illegal immigration’ rather than the proceeds he made.

Daljit Kapoor, of Hounslow, was jailed for seven years.

Harmit Kapoor, also of Hounslow, was handed a four-and-a-half year sentence.

Chawla, of Isleworth, who is also a member of the same extended family, will serve seven-and-a-half years behind bars.

All admitted conspiring to help asylum seekers get into the country illegally.

A timetable of confiscation is yet to be set.