Russell Brand Sex Abuse Claims Spur UK Criminal Investigation

Russell Brand is under criminal investigation in the UK -- this after cops say a handful of women came forward to publicly claim he sexually abused them years ago.

The comedian-actor was not named by London's Metropolitan Police in their statement Monday -- but there was no ambiguity that he was at the center of this new probe. They wrote, "Following an investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times, the Met has received a number of allegations of sexual offences in London."

The cops add ... "We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these."

Unclear what exactly the police are digging into, but, presumably, it might relate to the allegations mentioned in the joint report published a couple weeks ago -- which included claims from 4 different women ... a few of whom alleged RB had raped them.

Prior to Monday's announcement ... Metropolitan Police had said they received a report of a sexual assault that allegedly took place in Soho, London back in '03 -- and many believed that, too, was linked to Brand. Worth noting, Brand has yet to be arrested for anything at this point.

For his part, Brand has repeatedly and vehemently denied of all the claims against him thus far -- and it's too early to tell whether any of these investigations will result in charges.