Ten people have been arrested over allegations of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery among members of a religious group in Cheshire. More than 500 officers took part in raids at three addresses, as part of an investigation of the group in Crewe called the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), started by followers of Shia Islam at the start of the century, but whose beliefs have been rejected by Shiism. Cheshire Police said it was made aware last month of allegations that reportedly dated back to 2023. Police said the allegations related to one woman, who was a member at the time offences were said to have taken place. Police said there were currently about 150 members at the group's Crewe base. Of those arrested, the force said six were male and three female, with their nationalities including American, Mexican, Italian, Spanish and British. The force added that while those arrested were members of the group, officers were not investigating the religion itself. A further 13 people have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences, which do not relate to the investigation. The raids took place at about 08:50 BST, and a number of police vehicles
Apr 29, 2026 → May 1, 2026
A court has granted an interim anti-slavery and trafficking order against five people from a religious group in Cheshire who were arrested over allegations of sexual assault, forced marriage and modern slavery. They were among 10 people…
Read original at BBC →2 updates from 1 source over 2 days.
A court has granted an interim anti-slavery and trafficking order against five people from a religious group in Cheshire who were arrested over allegations of sexual assault, forced marriage and modern slavery. They…
Read original at BBC →Ten people have been arrested over allegations of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery among members of a religious group in Cheshire. More than 500 officers took part in raids at three addresses,…
Read original at BBC →What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.
A court has granted an interim anti-slavery and trafficking order against five people from a religious group in Cheshire who were arrested over allegations of sexual assault, forced marriage and modern slavery. They were among 10 people…
View source →Ten people have been arrested over allegations of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery among members of a religious group in Cheshire. More than 500 officers took part in raids at three addresses, as part of an…
View source →Tier key: T0 = Primary source · T1 = Wire · T2 = Outlet report · T3 = Commentary
Cheshire villagers are letting lawns grow wild to improve diversity and reconnect with nature on their doorstep Ian Waddington was crouched in his garden last summer, inspecting…
My mother, Olive Howes, who has died aged 98, was a pioneer practitioner of early years education. After training as an infant teacher in the late 1940s, she combined motherhood…
Northern Ireland MPs are due to hold discussions with the Treasury on Wednesday about the "unique challenges" faced by households which use heating oil. Global oil prices have…
Tests have found there are "potentially unacceptable risks" from toxic waste, including banned "forever chemicals", at a former Cheshire landfill site Testing for a BBC podcast in…
A new community grocery store offering people various food items at a discount has opened in Crewe. The store is being run in partnership by The Message Trust and Hope Church, and…
