By Lucy Caulkett-
Twenty-one men have been arrested in Bradford as part of a child sexual abuse investigation
The men were arrested from addresses in Bradford, Shipley and Keighley, as part of a three-week operation.
All 21 men, between the ages of 33 and 41, have been interviewed and released pending further enquiries. The allegations relate to offences which occurred in the district between 2001 and 2009 and relate to one female victim.
A Keighley child sex abuse ring of twelve men who committed serious sexual offences against two under-aged girls in the English were found guilty of rape and other forms of abuse in December 2015. The alleged ringleader of the gang was a local drug-dealer Ahmed Al-Arif Choudhury, believed to have escaped justice by fleeing abroad.
At the time, the main teenage victim of about 13 years of age was groomed with gifts and affection, then forced into abusive sexual relationships. She was also raped in various locations in Keighley, including parks, churchyards and an underground car-park.
Cops have not confirmed whether the latest arrests have any connection with the historical case of five years ago, but many networks of child sex abuse are not always successfully linked.
Detective Superintendent Sarah Jones, of Bradford District Police, said: “This investigation forms part of West Yorkshire Police’s commitment to the investigation of both current and non-recent sexual offences against children.
“Tackling child abuse is not something that any one agency can do in isolation though which is why we work closely with local authorities and other organisations and charities to support victims, bring offenders to justice and make our communities safer.
“We would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or historic, to report it to the police. Please be assured that you will be listened to, taken seriously and supported by professionals with experience of dealing with these kind of offences.”
It comes after last week’s news that a specialist team in Bradford arrested 15 men on suspicion of online child exploitation following a two-week operation.
Detectives from the Policing Online Investigations Team (POLIT) conducted a series of arrests at 15 addresses across the district.
The POLIT team was supported throughout the past couple of weeks by a number of teams across the Bradford District including CID, patrol and NPT as well as the West Yorkshire Police Digital Forensic Unit.
Fifteen men, aged between 22 and 65, were arrested and 60 computers and mobile phones were seized by officers.
All were released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.