Gang of men kidnapped and tortured man for hours in 'brutal' Luton attack

A gang of men kidnapped and tortured another man for hours after blaming him for damaging a car window.

The victim was approached by one of the men who marched him into a house in Ash Road in Luton in November 2021.

Once inside, the victim was forced upstairs, where the gang repeatedly punched him and attacked him with a heated machete, baseball bat and hammer.

The attack only stopped after Bedfordshire Police responded to a call that a man had been kidnapped and was being held at the address.

The victim suffered significant injuries including broken bones and knife wounds.

13 men and two women, aged between 24 and 53, were found inside the house and arrested for offences including kidnap.

Police said Safed Rafiq, 36, Idnan Akbar, 32, both from Luton, and 24-year-old Dawud Safeer of Peterborough, targeted the victim after suspecting him of smashing one of Akbar's car windows.

They all pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and false imprisonment.

Detective Constable Adam Geary, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “This is one of the most disturbing acts of violence I have come across and is truly shocking incident which involved the victim suffering immensely.

"The attack that Akbar, Rafiq and Safeer undertook was brutal to the extreme; they are clearly both incredibly dangerous men who have no place in society and it is good news that they have pleaded guilty to the offences.

"We won’t tolerate violence such as this in Bedfordshire. Anyone involved in such abhorrent behaviour can expect to be apprehended and put before the courts.”

Akbar, Rafiq and Safeer will be sentenced on 13 January 2023.

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