Two men charged with kidnapping and cutting off a victim’s finger – amid spate of alleged incidents involving ‘kidnapping and mutilation’
- Man, 26, and woman, 24, abducted by men in balaclavas
- The pair walked in Fairfield in western Sydney
- Police have arrested two men in connection with the alleged kidnapping
Two men will appear in court on charges of a harrowing kidnapping in which a Sydney man suffered a severed finger.
The victims – a 26-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman – were walking to a car park near Fairfield in southwest Sydney on January 18 when they were grabbed by two men wearing balaclavas, NSW police said.
The kidnappers forced the man and woman into a vehicle which was last seen exiting the car park and heading west along The Horsley Drive.
Two days later, the pair escaped from a location in Swan Bay about 15 miles northeast of Raymond Terrace before calling a family member who contacted police.
Local officers assessed the pair before the man was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment after his finger was cut in the kidnapping.
“The man’s finger was cut off during the incident,” police said Monday.
Police have arrested and charged two men in the alleged kidnapping of a man and woman in western Sydney (pictured)
A 26-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were walking to a parking lot in Fairfield when they were reportedly forced into a car by men wearing balaclavas. The pair were held against their will for two days before escaping (pictured, police arrest a man)
After an extensive investigation, Strike Force detectives executed two search warrants of homes in Smithfield and Cartwright on April 4 and arrested the two men.
They have since been charged with a range of kidnapping offenses, including holding the couple against their will and joining a criminal group.
The elderly man was also charged with damaging property by fire for another incident, in which a Molotov cocktail was reportedly thrown at a house in Bossley Park on January 22.
Both men appeared in Fairfield local court earlier this month, where they were formally denied bail to appear again in Parramatta local court on May 1.
It comes amid a spate of violent kidnappings, with five confirmed or suspected incidents this year alone.
In March, 26-year-old Peter Vuong was reportedly abducted at gunpoint before being tortured for six days at a home in Belmore.
Police said Mr Vuong had some of his teeth “forcibly removed” by a criminal group attempting to extort money.
The man was rescued by tactical agents almost a week after his alleged abduction and was taken to hospital in stable condition.
Police charged six men, aged between 19 and 21, with the alleged kidnapping.
Both men were denied bail and face multiple charges, including two counts of kidnapping or holding in company with intent to pay ransom and actual bodily harm (pictured, second man arrested)
On February 14, a 21-year-old woman had part of her fingers and toes amputated and on the same day a 26-year-old man reported to Sydney hospital with missing fingers.
The man refused to cooperate with a police investigation.
Two days later, on February 16, a man in his thirties was also treated in hospital for similar injuries.
Police are urging anyone with information about any of the alleged kidnappings to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.