A pizza restaurant in Willenhall is facing a licence review after being fined £45,000 by the Home Office for employing illegal workers.
During an immigration raid in August last year, officers discovered two female workers from India at Pizza Pan on Walsall Road who did not have the right to work in the UK. Both were subsequently arrested, and the restaurant’s owner, Naseem Mohammed, was issued a substantial penalty.
The Home Office revealed that one worker initially entered the UK on a student visa valid until October 2026, but after her sponsorship was withdrawn, her visa lapsed prematurely in March 2025. The second individual, related by marriage to the owner, worked approximately eight hours per week at the takeaway in exchange for occasional food instead of payment. She had a student visa from September 2020 to February 2022 and had made unsuccessful protection claims earlier this year.
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Authorities highlighted that verifying the right to work is a straightforward process, urging Walsall Council to revoke Pizza Pan’s premises licence to deter further illegal employment. They emphasized that merely correcting the current situation would not be enough to prevent future violations by this or other establishments.
West Midlands Police echoed these concerns, emphasizing serious mismanagement at the venue. Elizabeth Cope, a licensing officer with the force, stated: “Employing illegal workers is a grave offence tied to exploitation, modern slavery, tax evasion, and organized crime. Pizza Pan’s actions demonstrate blatant disregard for the law and undermine public safety objectives under the Licensing Act 2003.”
Earlier this month, licence holder Kamran Gulzar formally applied to surrender the premises licence. The final decision will be made by the licensing sub-committee at a meeting scheduled for Friday, June 12.