Shamed Rochdale Grooming Gang Fight to Avoid Deportation After Jail
Rochdale Grooming Gang Members Face Deportation Battle
Nine gangsters were jailed in 2012 for horrific child sex offences in Rochdale. Among them were Abdul Aziz, 51, Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Rauf, 52. Known as “the Master,” Aziz was previously told by the Home Office he would not be deported. But now authorities want them booted out of the UK, sparking a fierce legal fight.
Citizenship and Deportation Drama
All three men keep Pakistani nationality alongside British citizenship. Theresa May, then Home Secretary, ruled stripping them of UK citizenship and deporting them would be “conducive to the public welfare.” However, the men have battled for years in court, appealing attempts to send them abroad.
At a recent immigration tribunal in London, it was revealed Aziz was told he wouldn’t lose his citizenship. Yet, just days before a 2018 Court of Appeal ruling that said otherwise, Aziz gave up his Pakistani citizenship. His co-accused, Rauf and Khan, followed suit months later.
Lawyers for Rauf argue the law demands fair treatment. Although he could simply reclaim his Pakistani nationality, he refuses—fearing deportation back to Pakistan.
Grim Crimes Behind the Courthouse Drama
- Abdul Aziz: Sentenced to nine years for conspiring to sexually abuse a child and trafficking a 15-year-old girl. He transported her to Rochdale flats where she was drugged and forced into sex with gangs for cash.
- Qari Rauf: A father of five who trafficked a 15-year-old girl in his taxi to remote spots and flats for sex with multiple men.
- Adil Khan: Got a 13-year-old pregnant but denied paternity. He then violently trafficked a 15-year-old girl after she complained.
Legal Showdown Looms
Khan challenged officials during the hearing: “If Mr Aziz was an angel and I am a devil, why the difference?”
The deportation hearing was postponed and results are expected later this year. But one thing is clear — these convicted predators are fighting tooth and nail to dodge being sent packing.
