Seven men have been charged with rape and child sex abuse offences following a grooming gangs investigation.
Norfolk Constabulary said that the men were accused of a total of 40 offences as part of the probe into group-based child sexual exploitation in Norwich.
Jamil Khalili, 20, Ahmadin Ahmadzai, 20, Qais Kaker, 20, Fazal Auryakhel, 20, Mohammed Farooq Shinwary, 23, Ali Ahamad, 21, and Sayed Wahid Davodzai, 20, are accused of sexual offences committed between August 2023 and May 2025, police said.
The force said the men are all Afghan nationals and refugees. Officers said the charges related to two victims, who were aged in their early-to-mid teens at the time of the alleged offences.
Officers raided seven addresses - six in Norwich and one in Dumbarton, Scotland - on Wednesday, leading to the arrests.
Norfolk Constabulary said none of the suspects had lived at asylum hotels in Norfolk and none of the offending happened in asylum hotels.
The men were scheduled to appear before Norwich Magistrates' Court for a first hearing on Friday.
Norfolk Constabulary Superintendent Craig Miller said: "This type of case is very upsetting, and I want people living and working in Norwich, as well as the wider communities of Norfolk, to know that we will do everything possible to protect children from abuse and exploitation."
Jenny Hopkins, chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said the charges came following an investigation into "organised grooming gang activity".
She added: "Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings...
"It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."
(c) Sky News 2026: Seven men charged with rape and child sex abuse offences following grooming gang inv
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