A man from Bangladesh who is a trainee garda is facing deportation after it was discovered that he was involved in a fraudulent marriage to a Lithuanian woman who identifies as a lesbian.

The marriage was held in order for the man to gain residency in Ireland.

The 31 year-old had been a student at the Garda College in Templemore, Co. Tipperary, but has since resigning pending an investigation by the force’s National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).

He is also facing potential criminal prosecution for his involvement in the fraudulent marriage.

It emerged yesterday that the former trainee Garda and a friend paid more than €15,000 to two Lithuanian women who they married about five years ago.

The two women were in a relationship with each other when the marriages took place.

The marriages allowed both men to secure EU residency rights and to settle in Ireland.

The man the underwent a number of Garda interviews and exams before being accepted as a trainee Garda in Templemore last year.

This was until a few weeks ago when he became the subject of an investigation by the GNIB who formally interviewed all four individuals at the centre of this case.

All four are facing criminal charges and the two men face deportations unless they leave the state voluntarily.

This discovery is part of a wider operation by the Garda crackdown codenamed Operation Vantage which has uncovered massive profits and gang activity from the Indian sub-continent in this scam.

A senior source told the Irish Times that on average, a man who approaches the gangs in order to get married and exploit the system “has to pay around €15,000 for the wedding to be facilitated”.

The “brides” typically come from EU countries such as Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary and are reportedly paid around €3,000.

Operation Vantage has identified more than 450 fraudulent marriages in Ireland since legislation was introduced in 2015.