Rochdale gang ringleader seen shopping - 6 years after supposed deportation

The convicted ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang is walking freely around the very town where he abused young girls - six years after he was told he would be deported.

Qari Abdul Rauf, 51,  was jailed for six years for trafficking and sex with a girl, who was just 15.

He was freed on licence in 2014 but was told he faced deportation to Pakistan because he holds a dual-nationality passport.   

But it appears he has been somehow able to frustrate the authorities efforts to get him removed and has been seen shopping for food and drink in the town.

He and his fellow abusers Abdul Aziz, 50, and Adil Khan, 51, were all supposed to be deported but are all still in Britain.

Aziz carried the sinister title of 'the master' and is a father of three. He was originally sentenced to nine years for trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex with a child. 

Adil Khan was given eight years for conspiracy and trafficking a 13-year-old girl who fell pregnant.

The three men appealed but were told by the courts in 2018 that the decision regarding their citizenship stands. It is understood they still have the right to appeal the deportation decision.

Now, six years after they were warned they could be deported, Rauf has been pictured shopping for food and drink in Rochdale.