Fear in POK village as grooming gang leader faces deportation from UK

India Today

9 hours ago

Abdul Rauf, a convicted leader of the infamous Rochdale grooming gang, is constructing a new home in his native village of Charhoi in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), even as he continues to live freely in Rochdale, UK, more than a decade after being released early from prison.Rauf, who was convicted of trafficking and abusing minors, has avoided deportation from the UK by claiming he is stateless. But evidence emerging from his village in POK raises serious questions about that claim.advertisementAt a time when Rauf's dark secrets have come to light, his neighbours in the UK are living in fear of his presence, while people in his village in POK, where he comes from an influential family, are alarmed and unsettled.
Now working as a delivery driver, 55-year-old Rauf served just two-and-a-half years of a six-year sentence handed down in 2012 for his role in the grooming and sexual abuse of at least 47 underage girls, some as young as 12.The victims were plied with alcohol and drugs before being raped by members of the nine-man gang, which Rauf led.In many such cases, Pakistani-origin grooming gangs in UK towns lured and raped young girls for years, while authorities allegedly ignored reports to avoid offending cultural sensitivities. The shocking cases moved the country and ignited a long campaign for justice, culminating in a recently announced national enquiry into grooming gangs.advertisementThis campaign was started by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who in January discussed the negligence in investigations of grooming gangs in the UK."This is insane," Musk posted on X.RAUF CALLS HIMSELF STATELESS, HOME IN UK, POKRauf, originally from Kotli district of POK, had claimed that his renunciation of Pakistani citizenship made him stateless, and thus ineligible for deportation under UK and international law.But the UK-based Daily Mail reported that Rauf has not only maintained links with his native village, but is actively investing in it. He is now paying for the construction of a house near the Charhoi bazaar and reportedly plans to live there if and when he is deported.Local residents in Charhoi confirmed that Rauf initially allowed his elder brother to live in the under-construction home, but later asked him to vacate it. "His brother lived there for a few months," one resident told The Daily Mail, "but came back to his old home when his children told him to leave Abdul Rauf's house and go back".The same villagers dismissed Rauf's claim that he would be at risk in Pakistan due to public opinion about his convictions.One resident said: "Locals know about the case, but since his family is influential and financially strong, this topic is not much discussed". That comment contradicts the core of Rauf's legal defence, that returning to Pakistan would put him in danger due to the stigma of his crimes.advertisementDespite losing an appeal against being stripped of his British nationality in 2018, and further losing his deportation appeal in 2022, Rauf remains in the UK.NEIGHBOURS IN UK SCARED OF LEAVING KIDS: 'DISGUSTING'This is as Pakistan refuses to accept Rauf without valid travel documents.This bureaucratic deadlock has allowed Rauf to continue living in the same Rochdale neighbourhood where he once committed his crimes, triggering renewed fear and anger among residents."He has loads of people there, having parties, and we don't like the look of them," Angie Harrison, a local mother of two young daughters said. "My kids used to go around and play with his kids. It's disgusting. What is this country coming to?"Another woman, who lives just a few doors away from Rauf's terraced house, said police told her that he had "done his time" when she demanded they remove him. "Nobody can believe that monster is still here, after what he did to those young girls."advertisementRauf was once a respected member of Rochdale's Muslim community, known for his role as a qari, or Quran reciter. But during the gang's trial, it emerged that he had trafficked a 15-year-old girl in his taxi to isolated spots and to a flat where she was raped by multiple men, including Rauf himself.The growing frustration over the UK government's inability to deport foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes has been compounded by revelations that Rauf has received over GBP 2,85,000 in public aid to fund his legal efforts against deportation.Other members of the Rochdale gang are also still in the UK. Adil Khan, 55, continues to live in Rochdale despite also renouncing his Pakistani citizenship.Abdul Aziz, another ringleader, likewise cannot be deported for the same reason. Their continued presence in the community has added to public outrage.The latest developments come amid criticism of how government agencies have handled grooming gang cases.A recent report by British lawmaker Dame Louise Casey highlighted systemic failures, including attempts to downplay or obscure the ethnic background of many perpetrators in the grooming gangs case.In one instance, the word "Pakistani" had been deliberately "tippexed" (overwritten after use of correction fluid) out of a child sex abuse file, a decision Casey labelled as emblematic of officials "shying away" from uncomfortable truths.- Ends
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