Ashfaq Khan, Zaheer Iqbal and Qamar Jehangeer will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court today
Three British Pakistani men have been charged with a total of 46 offences relating to child sex abuse following a "complex" investigation by Greater Manchester Police.
The historical abuse is alleged to have taken place between 1996 and 2001 in the market town of Bury.
The alleged offences are said to have been carried out against 10 different girls, all aged between 14 and 16 years old.
Ashfaq Khan, 46, of Bury, has been charged with 36 counts including allegations of rape, attempted rape, indecent assault and false imprisonment.
Zaheer Iqbal, 52, of Accrington, Lancashire, is accused of four counts of rape and two counts of false imprisonment.
Qamar Jehangeer, 38, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, has been charged with four counts of rape.
The charges follow the launch of Operation Sky, a “complex and sensitive” investigation focused on the town.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers are working with trauma-informed support services to safeguard and support all those that have been affected.
"They continue to work at length to ensure their safety and well-being is the number one priority.”
All three men are scheduled to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
CRIME - READ THE LATEST:
The upcoming Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs is set to investigate nearby Oldham and Bradford, as well as Keighley and London.
The inquiry - which will be chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield - will force individuals and institutions to outline what they "did or did not do to protect children from being sexually abused".
It will also assess if authorities have made necessary changes in areas which have been the subject of past reviews, including Rotherham and Oxford.
