ILLEGAL immigrants were detained when police and immigration officers raided a well-known Chester restaurant.

Five Bangladeshis were led out of the Chester Tandoori on Brook Street after officers spent over an hour inside the establishment.

The business was formerly owned by chairman of Cheshire's Racial Equality Council and member of the Police Authority, Abdun Noor.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said the five men had been in the country illegally and would be flown home 'as soon as possible'.

She added that immigration officials were considering further prosecutions arising from the 'intelligence-led' operation.

It is not the first time officers have targeted the premises looking for illegal immigrants. A similar operation in October found two illegal immigrants who were subsequently returned home.

At about 3pm last Friday, divisional police officers, including some from the inner city community action team, entered the restaurant.

Witnesses said immigration officers were parked on the street in three grey Ford people carriers.

One eyewitness said: 'I saw the police first raid the Tandoori. There were about 8-10 of them in flak jackets. They all ran in, all through the front way. About five minutes later the immigration team went in, in their suits. The immigration inspectors were looking inside the building and they kept going in and out. About an hour later the police brought five people out.'

He added: 'They weren't saying anything. They were quiet with their heads down. They didn't protest or anything. They just got in the vans.'

The witness said that about three staff from the restaurant were talking to police as the arrested men were being taken away in the people carriers.

Former owner Mr Noor, who now only works at the restaurant at weekends, was at the Chester Tandoori when the police entered.

He said: 'The police came in. I was there in a meeting with somebody. About 10-15 minutes later I needed to go somewhere to another meeting and they allowed me to go.'

He said none of the five people worked at the restaurant and all had been visiting Chester and attended the previous night's multicultural event at the town hall.

Mr Noor said: 'We have learned that someone made a complaint to immigration that there is a lot of Bangladeshi people going into the restaurant. We believe that somebody complained to embarrass us and make things difficult.

'We're very surprised that the very next day after the event they chose to come and do this operation.'

Mr Noor, who is honorary secretary for the Chester Bangladeshi Welfare Association and chairman of the Bangladeshi and Asian Community Development Project, continued: 'One was my friend and he is a professor in Bangladesh.

'He was here visiting this country with his wife and daughter. He is going back on April 18. He is legally here, he has a valid passport and everything. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

'The owner invited two people. One is an IT consultant based in London. He is from India and has a work permit. The other two people I don't know. The staff know them. We believe they are all right. I don't know them personally.

'We believe they have been taken away without any justification. We believe that someone is victimising that particular restaurant. As far as we are concerned no one was an illegal immigrant. At least two or three people have a valid passport and a valid visa. At least one person rang and said he had been released yesterday so maybe more than one has by now.'

The Home Office said the five Bangladeshi men had been detained in the Merseyside area and would be transferred down to London where they would be flown home.

The spokeswoman added: 'Five Bangladeshis were picked up. All men. They will have removal directions put against them as soon as possible. Hopefully that should be some time this week.

'The operation was intelligence-led and there had been a previous visit in October last year.

'All officers were wearing body armour, which is standard practice even in domestic visits. This was a commercial operation.

'What normally happens if a group of people is picked up and they are all from the same area they are all flown back together. If they are from different countries, flights are arranged.

'They could either be going on a flight with other Bangladeshis who are found to be in the country illegally or on another flight with armed officers.'

Peter Nurse, chairman of Cheshire Police Authority, said yesterday: 'The Authority is aware of an ongoing investigation by HM Immigration Service into the operation of a restaurant in Chester which may be associated with Mr Noor.

'As Mr Noor may have breached the authority's code of conduct for members the matter has been referred to the Standards Board for England who have commenced an investigation.

'Until these investigations have concluded there is no further comment the authority can make.'