Religious group members questioned over modern slavery | BBC News
Police conducted a major raid on Web House, a property owned by the Amadi religion of peace and light (Arpole) in Crewe, investigating allegations of serious sexual offenses, forced marriage, and modern slavery. Local residents described scenes of chaos, with some occupants attempting to flee over back fences and being pepper-sprayed. Police stressed they are investigating specific criminal offenses, not the religious group itself.
Summary
A large-scale police operation targeted Web House, a former orphanage now owned by the Amadi religion of peace and light (also known as Arpole), a religious group started by followers of Shia Islam whose leader is Abdullah Hashim. Multiple police vehicles arrived at the property, and officers set up tents in the surrounding suburb as searches got underway.
Local residents witnessed significant chaos during the raid. Neighbors described occupants of the property attempting to flee by jumping over back fences into a nearby railway area, while a police helicopter tracked their movements. Some individuals were pepper-sprayed as they tried to evade police at the fences. One resident noted that multiple properties in the Crewe area appeared to have been raided in connection with the same operation.
Police confirmed the operation was part of an ongoing complex investigation into allegations of serious sexual offenses, forced marriage, and modern slavery. Authorities were careful to clarify that they were investigating specific criminal offenses and were not targeting the religious group as an organization. Some residents of the property were being safeguarded, allowing them to begin providing accounts to police. There is no suggestion that group leader Abdullah Hashim engaged in any criminal or legal wrongdoing.
Key Insights
- Police explicitly stated they are investigating allegations of serious sexual offenses, forced marriage, and modern slavery — and stressed they are not investigating the religious group itself as an organization.
- Local residents reported that some occupants of Web House attempted to flee the raid by jumping over back fences into a railway area behind neighboring gardens, with a police helicopter tracking their movements.
- A neighbor reported that people fleeing over fences were pepper-sprayed by police as they attempted to evade the cordon.
- One resident believed multiple properties across the Crewe area were being raided simultaneously as part of the same operation, suggesting the investigation extended beyond Web House alone.
- Web House is a former orphanage now owned by the Amadi religion of peace and light (Arpole), a group started by followers of Shia Islam and led by Abdullah Hashim, against whom no suggestion of wrongdoing has been made.
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