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Shere Khan shock

22/ 2/2007

CURRY king Rafique Awan has been arrested by police investigating an alleged illegal immigrants employment racket.

Multi-millionaire Mr Awan, aged 54, who founded the £30 million Shere Khan restaurant and food chain in Rusholme, was quizzed by police after voluntarily attending for interview with his solicitor. He has maintained his complete innocence.

Merseyside Police, who are conducting an inquiry into an alleged illegal immigration racket, have allowed Mr Awan to go free on police bail.

Last month his restaurants were raided and cleared of customers while a police search team in nine vehicles arrived at his £4m Hale Barnes mansion and removed documents, computers and children's i-Pods after a search.

His wife Nighat, a government race adviser, spoke to officers as they carried out the search. She has not been arrested, or questioned further. It is understood Mr Awan was in Pakistan at the time of the raid, and arrangements were made for him to be interviewed when he returned.

During the operation 70 restaurant staff were arrested. All those arrested now face the threat of deportation after the Home Office served 'removal directions' on them.

All of the employees have been allowed home while inquiries continue, but none have been allowed back to work. Any found to be working illegally will be deported.

The arrests follow an 18 month probe by the Immigration Service.

In all restaurants in Rusholme, Altrincham, Liverpool and Cheshire Oaks, and express takeaways in Sheffield's Meadowhall and Kent's Bluewater shopping centres were raided.

Their solicitor, Manchester-based Moin Azmi, said he didn't believe any serious offences had been committed.

He said: "Because people have been taken to police stations all over the country, it's been very difficult to establish the facts in every case. As far as we can tell, there have been only minor breaches of immigration conditions and the Home Office has yet to say if that will mean people being removed from the country - but they could be."

Mrs Awan, 51, has not made any public statement, but was said to be `incredibly distressed and upset'.

Mr Azmi said he was pushing for staff to be allowed to go back to work.

Merseyside Police have denied that the raids were heavy handed.

A spokesman said: "While proceedings are active, the force believes the action taken was entirely proportionate and reasonable in light of the serious nature of the allegations. The 70 arrests made during the weekend are the result of an extensive and thorough 18-month investigation. They follow serious allegations of breaches of immigration law."

Mr and Mrs Awan grew the Shere Khan brand from one restaurant on Rusholme's curry mile in 1987 to a company worth over £30m.
Nighat Awan is one of the country's most successful and high-profile businesswoman. A mother of three, she has successfully fought cancer.

Her trail-blazing business career has also earned the diminutive 51-year-old numerous honours and awards, most notably an OBE in 2004 for her services to export and charity.

A year later she rubbed shoulders with Cherie Blair and the Duchess of Cornwall as she collected the Entrepreneur of the Year title at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in London.

She sits on a number of high-profile business committees and panels including the North West Regional Development Agency's ethnic minority business forum and the CBI north west regional council of business leaders.

There is nothing subtle about her wealth. She drives a distinctive top-of-the-range Mercedes sports car with a personalised number plate and lives in a £3m mansion on one of the most exclusive roads in Hale Barns, where neighbours include Manchester City legend Colin Bell.

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