Three years after Merseyside Police and immigration officials raided the homes and restaurant premises belonging to the prominent Manchester-based Awan family, the investigation has been dropped, no charges are to be brought and all of those involved have been cleared of any wrong doing. At the time of the police raids in February 2007 the Shere Khan Group, owned by Rafique and Nighat Awan, operated nine restaurants in the North of England and Kent and employed more than one hundred people, but the business has suffered as a result.

As a direct result of the very serious allegations made against them by Merseyside Police several of the restaurants had to close and most of those employees lost their jobs. Many of the employees have been wrongly prevented from working since and have had their immigration status permanently and unfairly blighted.

"It has taken three years for the police to accept that their case was wholly unfounded. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pounds of tax payers money has been squandered in this unjust and malicious attack on innocent members of the Asian community. It has long been apparent to the police that they had no case but there now appears to be an attempt to cover up this scandal and avoid blame," said a relieved but angry Rafique Awan.

“For three years my family and I have been living a nightmare. My wife’s health has suffered terribly and it has been a great struggle for all of us to come through this. We have lost a great deal of money and respect because of the police but worse than that many of my former staff have been reduced to poverty and the charity of their family and friends. Others have been wrongly driven out of the UK when they were forced to realise that there was no justice for them in this country”.

Dr Nighat Awan OBE said "It has been a distressing and upsetting time for all concerned. Despite the business almost collapsing due to premature restaurant closures and our reputation being damaged, we just want to move forward and get on with our lives”

Shere Khan’s solicitor Michael Kenyon of Hill Dickinson LLP, in Manchester said “This investigation has been a scandal from start to finish and there are many questions for Merseyside police to answer. They must be held accountable for their actions”.

There was no statement forthcoming from the Merseyside Police on the Awan case.