German police have arrested two Pakistani nationals as part of a wider investigation into a grooming gang operating around Nuremberg’s main railway station. The case involves the sexual exploitation of women and girls and the supply of drugs to minors. So far, six suspects have been arrested, including two Pakistanis and four Syrians.
The investigation is being led by a special police unit called EKO Kajal, which was formed about five weeks ago after reports of growing crime around the station area. Police say the group focuses on girls and young women, getting them addicted to hard drugs and then demanding sexual acts in return. Some victims were also forced into prostitution.
Suspects taken into custody
The two Pakistani suspects, aged 18 and 26, were arrested on Thursday, 25th June, in separate operations. The younger man was detained outside his shared accommodation in Furth, while the older suspect was arrested at a shopping centre in Erlangen. Both were taken to correctional facilities after arrest warrants had been issued against them.
Earlier in the week, police arrested two Syrian men, aged 24 and 26, from an apartment in the Gostenhof district. Officers recovered crystal meth, cocaine and around €2,000 in cash during the search. The 26-year-old is accused of supplying drugs to minors, while the 24-year-old faces charges related to serious sexual abuse of children. An investigating judge ordered both men into pretrial detention.
Wider probe continues
The existence of a grooming gang in Germany, a phenomenon linked with the UK, came to light in May this year when police announced the existence of serious suspicions targeting a network active in downtown Nuremberg, around Nelson-Mandela-Platz and the central train station − an area long identified as a hotspot for drug trafficking, accentuated since the partial legalisation of cannabis.
According to police, several men connected to the local drug scene allegedly targeted vulnerable teenage girls. The described modus operandi followed a specific pattern: the girls were first approached with affection, gifts, and cosmetics, before being given hard drugs, including crystal meth. The resulting addiction was then exploited to obtain sexual acts, sometimes in the form of prostitution. Investigators suspect sexual assault and rape. The youngest alleged victim is reportedly 13 years old, and Nuremberg’s youth services have described the situation as “a new dimension.”
Police say the investigation covers several male refugees from Syria, Pakistan, Serbia and the Gaza Strip. The suspects are between 18 and 35 years old. The case includes charges related to supplying narcotics to minors, sexual abuse of children under the age of 14, abuse of teenagers and rape.
The name ‘EKO Kajal’ used for the special unit refers to kohl, a cosmetic among the gifts allegedly used to approach the victims.
According to investigators, eight suspects have now been arrested under court-issued warrants since the special investigation began. Experts believe some of the victims may have been vulnerable because of difficult personal situations and a desire to build serious relationships, making them easier targets for exploitation.
