As AbdelRahman Hashem watched the footage of police vehicles driving through the security gates of a religious sect’s headquarters, he felt a small spark of hope. Maybe now his two children would finally get answers about what happened to their mother.
The last time the children heard from her was seven years ago. In an email sent from a budget hotel in India, she wrote: “Mommy loves and misses them so much, so very much … they are both my best friends and my favorite people in the whole world.” Two days later, she disappeared.
Lisa Wiese was 30 when she vanished during a trip to Kerala, India, in March 2019. She was a member of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), an Islamic sect based in a former orphanage in Crewe, in northwest England.
In April, 500 police officers raided the sect’s headquarters. Twelve people were arrested on suspicion of a range of offenses, including modern-day slavery, human trafficking, forced marriage, and rape. All 12 have now been released on bail while investigations continue.
The police investigation, called Operation Decker, has focused on individuals rather than the religious group as a whole. It is based on allegations from a woman now living in the Republic of Ireland. The case has nothing to do with Wiese, and AROPL previously told the Guardian that it had no information about her disappearance.
Wiese is a German national, and police in both Germany and India opened investigations shortly after she went missing. They identified a member of AROPL they wanted to question but made little progress.
Now, Wiese’s ex-husband hopes the police raid on the group’s UK headquarters might lead to answers. “I want Cheshire police to widen their investigation to look into the disappearance of Lisa,” he said. “German and Indian police both wanted to question the same member of AROPL. Surely the police in the UK can help make this happen.”
‘I miss them every single day’
Friends described Wiese as strong-willed and free-spirited. “She was so warm and outgoing,” said one friend. Another called her the “most empathetic person” he knew.
In 2011, she surprised her German family by converting to Islam. She then moved to Egypt, where she joined the newly formed religious sect AROPL. Its teachings mix Islamic theology with internet conspiracy theories about the Illuminati, aliens disguised as humans, and magical healing powers using snakes, tigers, and chameleons.
The most devoted followers live in a close-knit community. Adult members of AROPL wear black beanie hats, and children are home-schooled within the group. (AROPL is not connected to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, often called Ahmadis, which started in South Asia and has a large presence in the UK.)
In Egypt, Wiese met AbdelRahman, the brother of AROPL’s founder. “Lisa had a kind soul,” he said. “She cared deeply about helping the less fortunate.” They had two children together.
AbdelRahman never joined the sect, and in 2017, when the couple split, he moved to the US.
Wiese moved with AROPL, first to Germany, where the sect set up new headquarters, and then to Sweden, where they moved in 2018. There, according to her ex-husband, things started to change. He said: “She wanted to leave the group, go back to work, and try to build a life for herself in Germany.”
In early 2019, her two young children moved to the US to live temporarily with their father, and the parents discussed how they could live in the same country to better co-parent the boys.
In a touching letter she wrote to her ex-husband as they left, Wiese detailed the boys’ routines and habits. “I always want them to know that I would always want to be with them,” she wrote. She asked her ex-husband to explain that “I miss them every single day and that I love them so very much.”AbdelRahman Hashem. Photograph: Supplied
Around the same time, she messaged a friend in Germany and asked him to hold onto some money for her. On March 7, Wiese flew to India with a member of the sect. Her airline ticket was paid for by another member of AROPL.
There have been different explanations for the trip. Some say Wiese wanted space from AROPL. Others say she wanted distance from her family.
It has also been suggested that Wiese traveled to India to look for property for the sect. AROPL’s lawyer denied that, telling the Guardian that Wiese was in India visiting a friend.
Whatever the reason, four days after arriving in Kerala, Wiese disappeared.
Gmail account deactivated and deleted
Wiese’s movements in India offer few clues about what happened to her.
Soon after landing, Wiese messaged her friend, asking him to wire more than €500—part of the money she had asked him to look after. “I’m in India right now and need it,” she wrote.
Her entry card submitted at the airport said she would stay at Amritapuri ashram, a Hindu retreat. But Indian police found no evidence she ever visited the complex.
View image in fullscreen
Wiese is believed to have stayed in a budget hotel near Varkala beach. Photograph: Sabrina Andrea Sachs
Instead, it seems Wiese stayed in a budget hotel high on the cliffs above Varkala beach, paying in cash. She stayed for four or five days. The hotel kept no records, and the exact date she left is unclear.
In the days before she vanished, Wiese sent more WhatsApp messages to a friend in Germany. She also sent her husband voice notes for their children. He said she sounded happy.
On March 11, 2019, four days after arriving in India, her ex-husband received an email from her account with a message for their two children: “I miss them so much.”
That same day, Wiese’s mother, Katrin Wiese, received what she would later describe as a strangely impersonal email, saying her phone had been stolen: “Just so you know, I can only be reached via email.”
Two days later, her Gmail account was deactivated and deleted.
No one has reported seeing or hearing from Wiese since. Her phone has not been used, and the money her friend wired to her was never picked up. There was no activity on her known bank accounts.
Three months later, in June 2019, after she failed to make contact on her son’s birthday, Wiese’s mother reported her disappearance to German police. They started a missing persons investigation in cooperation with Indian authorities.
Wiese’s sister, Karoline Heling, said at the time: “We believe that Lisa would never have gone away for this long without contacting us, especially her sons, whom she loves so much. She knows they would be very worried. We cannot understand why we haven’t heard from her for over three months. This is not like Lisa, and it’s not normal for her.”
Long search for answers
Seven years after her disappearance, Wiese’s family still have no answers. The investigations in Germany and India remain open, but a series of delays and police failures, combined with a complicated transnational legal system, have meant little progress.
Get in touch
Contact Maeve McClenaghan about this story
If you have something to share about this story, you can contact Maeve using one of the following methods:
Secure Messaging in the Guardian app
The Guardian app has a tool for sending tips about stories. Messages are end-to-end encrypted and hidden within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents anyone from knowing you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.
If you don’t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’. To send a message to Maeve McClenaghan, please choose the ‘UK Investigations’ team.
Email
If you don’t need a high level of security or confidentiality, you can email maeve.mcclenaghan@theguardian.com.
Messaging apps
You can messageContact Maeve using the Signal Messenger app. Choose the ‘find by username’ option and enter ‘maevemcclenaghan.45’.
SecureDrop
If you can safely use the Tor network without being seen or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian through our SecureDrop platform.
Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely and explains the pros and cons of each option.
Speaking from his home in Alaska, AbdelRahman feels let down and has asked Cheshire police for help. “Five hundred—that’s a lot of police officers,” he said, referring to the police raid in Crewe. “It’s like a very, very big difference.”
He became upset when thinking about how the disappearance has affected their children, who are now 11 and 12 years old. “It’s been years of this kind of thing, trying to be soft and gentle like a mother would, but also trying to be firm and a little strict like a father would, because I have to be,” he said.
When AbdelRahman told his youngest son that the police had raided the AROPL site, it brought up mixed feelings. “He smiled and was happy at first, and then he broke down crying,” he said. “They still hold out hope that she might be found.”
AbdelRahman is less hopeful.
“We’ve been here for years, just me and my two children. At the end of the day, I just want answers for my children.”
Additional reporting by David Pegg.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the news story you provided written in a natural tone with clear and direct answers
Frequently Asked Questions
1 What is this story about
A family is hoping that a police raid on a religious group in the UK will help them find out what happened to their missing loved one They believe the group may have information about her disappearance
2 Who is the missing woman
The specific name of the woman hasnt been widely released in the initial reports but she is a family member who has been missing for a significant period Her family is desperate for answers
3 What kind of religious group was raided
The reports describe it as a UKbased religious group The exact name or denomination hasnt been confirmed in the initial news but its an organized group that the police believe is connected to the womans disappearance
4 Why did the police raid the group
The police raided the group as part of a formal investigation into the womans disappearance They likely had a warrant to search for evidence such as documents electronic devices or other items that could explain what happened to her
5 What are the family hoping to find out
The family is hoping the raid will reveal concrete answers where she is what happened to her and whether the group was involved in her disappearance They want closure after a long period of uncertainty
6 Has anyone been arrested
The initial reports dont mention any arrests The raid was primarily to gather evidence Arrests could happen later if the police find enough evidence to charge someone
7 Is this group a cult
The media often uses the term cult for secretive or controlling religious groups but the police and official reports usually use terms like religious group or organization The family and investigators are treating it as a group that may have withheld information
8 How long has the woman been missing
The article doesnt give a specific time frame but the fact that the family is still searching and the police are conducting a raid suggests she has been missing for a whilelikely months or even years
9 What kind of evidence are the police looking for
Police often look for digital evidence financial records documents about the groups activities and any physical evidence that might show where the woman was
