COPS took down a huge asylum seeker grooming gang in Glasgow - but kept it secret.

The gang preyed on vulnerable young girls in the city, and had at least 44 victims, including a core group of six youngsters who were all known to each other.

2 Police Scotland took down a grooming gang but kept it secret Credit: Alamy

It's believed one may have been abused by 28 men, with another linked to 23.

55 suspected members of the vile group were identified by officers, with 46 positively identified.

All were asylum seekers from the Kurdish, Afghani, Egyptian, Moroccan, Turkish, Pakistani or Iraqi communities.

Operation Cerrar was kept under wraps by Police Scotland, and has now come to light after an investigation by the Daily Express.

Cops say 19 members were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal, but its unknown how many were convicted.

Briefings from the 2016 operation are stored in the archives of the Glasgow Child Protection Committee.

2 The sick group targeted vulnerable young girls Credit: Alamy

The horrifying extent of the gang's activities was laid bare in a National Child Abuse Investigation Unit report by Detective Inspector Sarah Taylor.

22 of the suspects were still living in Glasgow at the time, with a further eight still thought be in the UK.

14 had been deported, with another awaiting deportation and one in prison.

Under the heading 'Victims', the report states: "Girl 1 - 28 suspects, Girl 2 - 23 suspects, Girl 3 - 9 suspects, Girl 4 - 8 suspects, Girl 5 - 4 suspects, Girl 6 - 1 suspect. All are known to one another. 20 other named girls believed to be victims. A further 18 girls were identified through the course of the current investigation."

Cops say they used "disruption tactics" including intelligence gathering, covert policing, financial and "lifestyle" profiling - looking at the suspects' associates, vehicles and employment.

DI Taylor said officers had used "all investigative opportunities to pursue all known offenders including involvement in current criminality".

They also used grooming and trafficking legislation, preventative orders and immigration status to take down the offenders.

They also had support from Glasgow City council, the UK Border Agency, Barnardo's, HMRC and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Asked why Operation Cerrar was not made public, a police source said: "We need to be very clear that we always carefully consider when and what information to release in relation to ongoing investigations to protect vulnerable victims and the integrity of the inquiry."

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Detective Chief Inspector Laura Carnochan, of the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "We are committed to investigating all reports of child abuse which includes child sexual exploitation. We want to

reassure anyone who has suffered abuse that we will listen.

"Our investigations are always victim focused and victim led, and we will ask our partners in support services to assist.

"Our National Child Abuse Investigation Unit provides specialist support for the investigation of complex child abuse and neglect across Scotland, however, part of our success in delivering child protection is local officers working with their partners in communities.

"Child abuse, including child sexual exploitation, is a complex, challenging area of policing and we owe it to all children, whether now or in the past, to thoroughly investigate each and every report we receive.

"Anyone with information on child sexual abuse is asked to contact Police Scotland through 101."

'We always carefully consider what information to release to protect vulnerable victims and the integrity of the inquiry'.

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