ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A convicted child-sex offender, who was part of a gang that exploited teenage girls in a northern English town, has been arrested in Pakistan where he fled during his trial, the British High Commission in Islamabad said on Thursday.

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain, 41, was part of a group of men of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Afghan origin who were jailed for abusing dozens of girls following an investigation centered on the town of Rochdale near Manchester.

The men groomed the girls with gifts and plied them with alcohol and drugs before forcing them to have sex with others.

Hussain escaped during the trial but was found guilty in 2016 in his absence of a series of serious offences including rape and sexual activity with a child.

“The arrest of this individual, who has been convicted of sexual offences by a British court, is a significant achievement and another excellent example of UK-Pakistan cooperation in tackling international criminality and impunity,” Thomas Drew, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan said.

“It sends a clear message that Pakistan is not a safe haven for international criminals.”

Pakistani courts will now decide whether to extradite Hussain back to Britain, the Commission said.