Three Rochdale men charged with historic child sex offences involving teenage girl

Thursday, 30 October 2025 18:14

By David Murphy

Seven charges including multiple rapes brought against three men following major CSE investigation in Rochdale

Three men from Rochdale have been charged with a string of serious child sexual offences following a lengthy police investigation into historic abuse allegations.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that seven charges have been brought against Naveed Anwar, Mohammed Abdul-Sami and Dilwar Ali in connection with the sexual abuse of a single victim between 2008 and 2009. All three have been bailed and are due to appear in court in March 2026.

The charges were brought as part of Operation Bridgewater, an investigation led by GMP’s Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team, which focuses on non-recent abuse cases.

Naveed Anwar, born 28 June 1984, of Rochdale, faces two charges: one count of rape of a girl aged between 13 and 15 and one count of rape of a woman aged 16 or over.
Mohammed Abdul-Sami, born 8 December 1980, also of Rochdale, has been charged with the same two offences: rape of a girl aged 13–15 and rape of a woman aged 16 or over.

Both men are scheduled to appear before Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on 19 March 2026.

Dilwar Ali, born 20 May 1980, of Rochdale, faces three charges: two counts of rape of a girl aged 13–15 and one count of assault by penetration. He is due to appear at the same court on 18 March 2026.

The charges relate to alleged abuse of one victim during a one-year period more than 15 years ago.

Police have not released any further details about the victim in order to protect their privacy.

The case is part of ongoing efforts to revisit and prosecute historic abuse cases in Rochdale, which has been the focus of national scrutiny in recent years following multiple grooming gang scandals.

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