CCTV footage has captured the terrifying moment a gang of kidnappers dragged a 21-year-old man from a house in Telford and forced him into the boot of a car. The incident occurred in broad daylight in the Arleston area at around 2.18pm on Monday, December 29.
Shocking Attack in Arleston
The footage shows four men wearing balaclavas pulling the victim down the driveway as a woman follows them, repeatedly shouting 'let him go'. The victim is then shoved into the boot of a black Audi A4, with one of the kidnappers climbing on top of him to force him down. A woman who tried to intervene was pushed to the ground.
The Audi then sped away with the boot still open, the victim's legs hanging out. Additional CCTV shows the car stopping at a junction, where two kidnappers exit and close the boot door, in full view of passing traffic. The vehicle later arrived at a storage unit in Eyton, Telford, where the victim was bundled into a container and subjected to a sustained and brutal assault.
Victim's Daring Escape
Three of the kidnappers left the storage unit to dump the Audi at Lilleshall Golf Club. One returned to pick up the others, leaving the victim locked inside and tied to a chair. However, police had already arrested one suspect, 22-year-old Haider Ali, at 4.53pm that same day after CCTV footage identified him.
While Ali was in custody, his phone received a video of the victim being tortured at 7.11pm. Meanwhile, the other four kidnappers returned to the unit and placed the victim in a car, heading towards north Shropshire. At 9.58pm, officers received a call from a takeaway in Whitchurch reporting a man had escaped kidnap and was seriously injured. Police attended and identified him as the victim.
The victim told officers that while two suspects were out of the car, he locked the doors, noticed the keys in the ignition, and drove to safety. He also identified the other four attackers, leading to the arrests of Jawad Hussain, 20, Ehteshan Hussain, 22, Faheem Chohan, 23, and Shayyan Hussain, 24, who handed himself in later that day.
Court Proceedings
Jawad Hussain, of Windsor Road, Arleston; Ehteshan Hussain, of Princess Avenue, Arleston; Faheem Chohan, of Windsor Road, Arleston; and Shayyan Hussain, of John Broad Avenue, Arleston, pleaded guilty to kidnap in January. Haider Ali, of Montgomery Road, Wellington, was found guilty of the same offence following a trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Tuesday, June 16. All five men are due to be sentenced at a later date at Shrewsbury Crown Court. A sixth man stood trial but was found not guilty.
Detective Chief Inspector Lee Holeshouse said: "This was a shocking and deeply disturbing attack in which a young man was kidnapped in broad daylight, subjected to a sustained and brutal assault, and held against his will. The actions of all five men involved show a complete disregard for human life and the law, and the level of violence and intimidation used is utterly unacceptable. I welcome yesterday's verdict against Haider Ali, which means five men involved in this appalling crime have now been held to account for their actions. I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in escaping such terrifying circumstances, and the determination of officers whose swift and thorough investigation brought those responsible to justice. Our communities should be reassured that this kind of criminality will not be tolerated."
