THREE Indian women are still on the run after using a county cricket match as a ploy to enter the country.

The women, from Punjab, were granted special three-week visas after stating they were visiting England to take part in a cricket tournament at Colwall, near Malvern, in August.

The trio were among a 13-strong Indian team due to take part in the renowned Colwall Cricket Week, which began on Sunday, August 10.

However, the team, which was staying in Hounslow, west London, only spent two days at the week-long festival, saying they could no longer commute to Colwall because it was "too far".

Five members of the team disappeared days later, prompting worried colleagues to contact police amid fears for their safety.

The Metropolitan Police launched a missing persons inquiry urging the women to come forward.

Two of them returned to Hounslow and after being quizzed by police, flew home to India, leaving Baljeet Kaur, Mandeep Virk and Ekta Andotra, behind.

Immigration officials have been drafted in and, together with police, are hunting for the missing women whose visas ran out more than two months ago.

But with no fresh leads, the women look destined to spend Christmas in the UK.

A Home Office spokesman said he would not comment on individual cases but added that if someone was in the country and their visa had expired, they were then in the country illegally.

"After a short period, they are in the country illegally and are then liable for removal," he said.

At the time they went missing, Coral Handley, who organised Colwall Cricket Week, said: "We made the arrangements in good faith. You can't predict something like this will happen."