Manchester families ‘targeted with hoax paedophilia claims’

An American woman allegedly lured armed police to the homes of Asian families in Greater Manchester by claiming they were abusing children.

In a campaign that lasted for more than a year, the woman allegedly created fake profiles to stalk the families online and falsely accused them of being paedophiles and child killers.

A suspect has been charged with cyber harassment in the US. Nibah Gazi, 40, from New Jersey, is accused of “swatting” – where Internet trolls make false reports to the police in the hope of getting armed officers sent to victims’ homes.

One couple, their children and parents in Manchester were woken in the middle of the night by officers with guns after false accusations were allegedly made in calls to police.

Rangzib Nazir, 51, a music promoter from Oldham, told the Manchester Evening News he had been subjected to months of abuse. He said he was first contacted in December last year by someone who said they were interested in booking some acts for an event in the US.

He said the woman suggested it would be “fun” to put cameras in the room to secretly record the young acts. When Nazir told her he wanted nothing more to do with the booking, she is said to have vowed to “destroy” him.

“She started putting messages up on social media that I’m a paedophile and my associates are paedophiles and that my colleagues are all part of a grooming group,” he said. Nazir reported the incident to British police and informed the woman of his actions.

“She was telling people I had been arrested,” he said. “She was ringing up promoters and artistes and telling them not to work with me.” Three months after the initial contact the woman allegedly told police Nazir was holding his family hostage at gunpoint. In the early hours of the morning Nazir was woken by a message from the woman, part of which read: “Don’t worry, armed police are outside.”

“I’ve looked outside and seen blue lights and about 17 police cars. Some of them were armed,” Nazir said. He woke his children and elderly parents to show the officers they were not being harmed. But a week later armed police visited his home in the early hours again.

He said police visited him another four times and phoned him on 15 occasions, each time investigating false reports he was abusing children. “They came into my house and wanted to search the rooms, which I didn’t let them do. I just told the children to come downstairs. I invited them in but if I didn’t I’m sure they would knock the door down. They say they want to speak to the children.”