Nighat Awan - sister of Tariq Siddiqi

Nighat Awan - sister of  property moguls Pervaiz Naviede and Tariq Siddiqi - who is the driving force behind the hugely successful Manchester-based restaurant chain Shere Khan - has been arrested by police investigating the smuggling of illegal immigrants into the UK. Government race adviser Nighat Awan 52, one of the country's richest entrepreneurs who had close links with Cherie Blair, was interviewed by officers from Merseyside Police, on suspicion of conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration, and has been bailed to be questioned again in November.

But a spokesman for the charity fundraiser who lives in Hale Barnes, near Altrincham said today she strenuously denied doing anything wrong, and had voluntarily helped police with their enquiries.

In February this year, her husband Rafique Awan 54, who started the Shere Khan restaurant chain in Rusholme, was arrested by officers involved in the same operation. He dismissed as 'rubbish', claims that he had been involved in an alleged illegal immigrants employment racket.

The spokesman for Mrs Awan, who is understood to be en route home to the UK after a trip to Mecca, said today: "She is totally in the dark about why she has been questioned, and totally bewildered by it all. Far from being involved in anything illegal, she has worked for a long time in the past as a human rights charity worker.

Enquiries

"Mrs Awan voluntarily assisted police with their enquiries and answered their questions. While she has no personal knowledge of the matters in question, in her role as chief executive of the Shere Khan Group she is happy to co-operate as far as possible."

Early this year the Awan's Indian restaurant empire was targeted by police and their £4m mansion searched by officers who removed documents and computer equipment.

It is understood that Mr Awan was in Pakistan at the time of the raid and arrangements were made for him to be interviewed on his return. Mrs Awan spoke to police at the time, but was not arrested.

One of the country's richest businesswomen, Mrs Awan was last year appointed head of a Department of Trade and Industry-backed group to support black and ethnic minority businesses.

She has had to overcome a series of health problems including throat cancer, and her spokesman said today the upset caused by renewed police action had made her ill.

Mrs Awan was awarded the OBE three years ago for her export and overseas charity work. Cherie Blair, then wife of then Prime Minister Tony Blair, was guest of honour at a garden party held by Mrs Awan, and the entrepreneur and her family have also toured Number 10 Downing Street.

Copyright The Manchester Evening News Link

The older sister of socialite Tariq Siddiqi has been interviewed by police investigating the smuggling of illegral immigrants into the UK. Officers from the Police and Immigration Service raided the £3.5 million home of Nighat Awan as part of a nationwide investigation into illegal immigration. A total of 70 men were arrested in the raids who were all employed in Mrs Awan's restaurants. 

Mrs Awan, 51, spoke to police while they carried out a search of her home.

Officers wearing yellow high-visibility jackets and protective headgear arrived in nine vehicles at the Awans' sprawling mansion on Friday evening. At the same time, restaurants and premises linked to Mrs Awan - dubbed the "Curry Queen' - were also raided in Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire, Sheffield and Kent. Officials from the Department of Work and Pensions were also involved.

A neighbour said: "It happened at around 5pm. Suddenly the police arrived in six cars with three vans. Soon Mrs Awan's home was filled with police and plain-clothes officials. You could see them through the upstairs windows and in the hallway. Very soon after that family members started arriving in expensive cars, one a Bentley. One was very agitated, waving his arms in the air. These are very wealthy people and this is a very quiet road - nothing like this ever happens here."

Shere Khan was set up by Mrs Awan's husband in Manchester's famous curry mile on Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, in 1987. They now operate ten restaurants. One diner at their branch at Manchester's Trafford Centre, where 13 men were arrested, said: "Police arrived in dozens around 5pm and shut the place down despite people eating in there. They were wearing gloves and searching the whole place.

Detective Superintendent Steve Moore, of Merseyside police, said the raids followed "a lengthy investigation into abuse of the immigration system", including allegations of facilitating illegal immigration.

The Awans live in a Cheshire mansion based on the White House, including a palatial lounge modelled on the US President's Oval office. Its lobby is dominated by two staircases leading off to its five bedrooms, and the property also has an all-marble bathroom with plasma TV sets above the bath. In 2004, Mrs Blair was a guest of honour at a lavish garden party thrown by the curry entrepreneur and her brothers Tariq Siddiqi and Pervaiz Naviede.

Mrs Awan was born in Manchester after her parents moved there from Pakistan. Her father, Mohammed Siddiqi, made a fortune in the rag trade but went bust, leaving a trail of creditors who were so angry that several members of the family changed their surname from Siddiqi to Naviede to avoid repercussions.

Shere Khan has recently been hit by by a series of health and safety prosecutions. In December the Rusholme restaurant was fined £40,000 after a diner found a live cockroach nestling in the poppadoms. The court heard that live insects were found on sacks of rice and crawling across the floor, while the floor was covered in a "soup of grease, dirt and food debris", equipment was dirty, a plate rack was rusted and chopping boards were covered with old food and blood.

Tariq Siddiqi said he had not heard of the raids until contacted by this newspaper. "Thanks for the shock. I have no comment to make," he said.

Copyright The Daily Mail, The London Standard Link and the Manchester Evening News Link