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New arrest in religious group modern slavery raids

Richard PriceWest Midlands
Cheshire Police An aerial view of an ornate building with a large field in front of it as well as a playing field and trees. There are rows of houses to the left hand side of the image.Cheshire Police
Webb House in Crewe is the headquarters of the religious group

Officers investigating allegations of serious sexual offences involving members of a religious group have made an eleventh arrest.

It follows 10 arrests in April in relation to the allegations linked to members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Crewe.

The reported offences, which also included forced marriage and modern slavery, were reported to have taken place in 2023, according to Cheshire Police, and involved one woman who was a member of the group at the time.

The arrested person, a 48-year-old British man, was a known member of the group, police said. The arrest on Thursday, on suspicion of human trafficking, was linked to allegations reported to police in March.

The suspect has since been released on bail.

Seven men and three women were arrested in the initial raids and have all since been released on conditional bail.

An ornate building with a large field in front of it as well as a playing field and trees. There is a row of trees to the left hand side of the image, obscuring part of the building. Two people in black clothing are standing in front of the building.
The religious group has been based at its Webb House headquarters in Crewe for about five years

On 1 May, Chester Magistrates Court granted an interim anti-slavery and trafficking order against four men and one woman, who were among the 10 people initially detained in the investigation.

They are Abdullah Hashem, a 42-year-old US citizen who is the leader of the group, Veronica Espoda, a 44-year-old Italian national, Kevin Omar Rodriguez Ponce, a 30-year-old from Mexico, Eyad Elkhouli, a 44-year-old German national and 35-year-old Ali Muhammed, who is British.

The interim orders prevent them from entering Crewe and from contacting the alleged victim. They also place restrictions on where they can live and where they can travel.

Police said they had also applied for slavery and trafficking risk order against the man who was arrested this week, and that application is set to be heard in court next week.

Cheshire Police Three police vans in a row, parked in a a small side road. There are trees either side of the road. Cheshire Police
There were 500 officers involved in the raids on 29 April, according to Cheshire Police

"While all the suspects we have arrested are members of the group, as we have stated from the beginning, this is not an investigation into the religion," Waller added.

"Our investigation solely focuses on the serious allegations which have been reported to us."

Meanwhile, a further 25 people were charged with public order offences following raids involving more than 500 police officers on 29 April and were due to appear in court on various dates later this year.

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