A suspect in a grooming gang investigation, Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed, 55, has been elected as a Member of Parliament in Pakistan while on bail in the United Kingdom for alleged rape and trafficking offenses. Ahmed was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in the Rusholme area of Manchester during the 1990s.
He was released on bail but reportedly left for Pakistan nearly two months ago, missing a police appointment after stating he was too unwell to travel. Shortly after his departure, he was elected as an MP for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ruling party.
A reporter from The Mail on Sunday located Ahmed at his office in Kharri Sharif, Mirpur, Pakistan, where he appeared healthy and was meeting with officials. When questioned about the allegations, Ahmed described them as "propaganda" from British Indians intended to harm his election campaign. He stated that his legal teams in Manchester and London were handling the matter and advised him not to discuss it.
Ahmed confirmed he would return to Britain to comply with his bail conditions but declined to provide a specific date. When directly asked about the rape allegations, he refused to answer, telling the reporter, "You are doing wrong now, I told you not to talk to me like this." He added that he had "nothing to do with it."
The investigation is understood to be part of a broader inquiry into historical child sexual abuse allegations at Manchester care homes in the early 1990s. Ahmed, who was in his late 20s and living in the city at the time, has categorically denied all allegations via a Facebook statement, citing legal advice not to comment further.
Ahmed is expected to answer bail within the next six weeks. Failure to appear could result in an arrest warrant and extradition proceedings. Greater Manchester Police declined to comment on the case.