Eight men have been arrested in early morning raids on homes in Den Bosch and Rosmalen in connection with the rape of a number of under-age girls.

The arrests are the result of an investigation lasting several months and more arrests cannot be ruled out, police said in a statement.

The investigation began after three girls aged 15 and 16 made separate reports to the police about being raped by a group of men. The girls had been groomed via social media, lured to a garage in Den Bosch and then raped several times.

Police say the youngsters may have been drugged and there are indications that the same may have happened to other girls. They hope that by rounding up the ringleaders, girls who have been too scared to report the attacks may come forward.

‘A sex case of this magnitude is very rare,’ a police spokesman said.

The eight men who have been arrested range in age from 18 to 26 and are being kept in isolation, which means they may only have contact with a lawyer.