Six men, five of which are from Muslim backgrounds, have been charged with the sexual exploitation, trafficking and rape of underage white girls in the town of Rochdale, Northern England.

The charges relate to offences allegedly committed between 2004 and 2008 against three girls aged between 14 and 16 at the time.

Joshim Miah, 31, of Rochdale, is accused of rape and trafficking a person within the UK for sexual exploitation.

Mohammed Sadeer, 27, Naheem Akram, 39, both of Rochdale, and a man, who police say cannot be named for legal reasons, are all also charged with rape.

Ittefaq Yousaf, 25, has been charged with sexual assault and causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, while Arfan Iqbal, 25, also of Rochdale, is charged with attempted rape.

The men will appear at Bury Magistrates Court later this week, AP reports.

Rob Potts, Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police, said: “This case is another that has been launched by Operation Doublet, an investigation into child sexual exploitation (CSE) that arose following the 2011 investigation into CSE in Rochdale.

“To date, 83 people have been arrested, 15 have been interviewed under caution and prosecutions have been launched against 25 people.

“These types of investigations remain incredibly complex and challenging but at the heart of our considerations is the welfare of the victims and we have a team of experienced and dedicated officers supporting them through the process.

“The sexual exploitation of children and young people is the absolute priority for Greater Manchester police and its partners.

“Since 2010 we have moved considerable resources into child protection and the investigation of sexual exploitation and the continuance of Operation Doublet is a symbol of our steadfast resolve to investigate these offences, no matter the timeframe, and to ensure that, where there is a case to answer, it is brought before the courts.”

The market town near the city of Manchester was rocked by a Muslim rape gang scandal of a much larger scale in 2012, when eight Pakistani Muslim men and one Afghan asylum-seeker were convicted of trafficking and raping 47 white girls.