Four Bangladeshi-origin men jailed for kidnap, blackmail in UK

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Aditi Khanna, London
Published : 01:12, Feb 19, 2019 | Updated : 01:12, Feb 19, 2019

Mohammed Kodoris, of Ilford, and Progghnamoy Chowdhury, of Manor Park. Photos: Met PoliceFour men have been jailed in London for a total of 50 years behind bars for two incidents of kidnap, false imprisonment and blackmail.
Mohammed Kodoris, 52, was sentenced to a total of 16 years behind bars, which included two counts of false imprisonment, eight years for blackmail and two years for actual bodily harm (ABH), to be served concurrently. Progghnamoy Chowdhury, 32, was sentenced to similar charges for a total of 16 years at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.
Their accomplices, 45-year-olds Shah Abdal and Mohammed Sajon, were sentenced to 12 and six years, respectively. While Abdal was found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment, blackmail and ABH, Sajon was jailed for blackmail.
Detective Constable Megan Bushell, of the Metropolitan Police Central East Command Unit, said they were involved in “terrifying incidents” in which two men were, in completely separate attacks, taken completely against their will and subjected to a horrible level of violence and threats.
“I am pleased to have secured significant custodial sentences for each of the men involved in these very serious crimes. I’d like to thank the victims for their bravery in supporting our investigation and hope that this gives them some small measure of comfort in seeing justice done and their attackers imprisoned,” he said.
Kodoris, Chowdhury and Sajon had pleaded guilty to their offences, while Abdal was found guilty at the conclusion of a trial.
In the first incident the victim, a 29-year-old man was met by Chowdhury, a male known to him, in east London in September 2017. Chowdhury took the victim to an address in Forest Gate nearby, where Kodoris was present. There, they assaulted the victim and threatened him over several hours, before demanding he hand over his bank card so that money could be withdrawn from his account. Over £600 in cash was taken.
“After a number of hours, the victim was allowed to leave the address after photographs had been taken of his identification documents as well as pictures of his family. Threats were made towards him and his family and further money was demanded. He was left with reddening to his skin after being kicked and reported the matter to the police straight away,” the Met Police said.
Shan Abda, of Stepney, and Mohammed Sajon, of Forest Gate. Photos: Met PoliceIn the second incident, police were called to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel area of east London in March last year. Officers attended and found the victim, another 29-year-old man, who had been beaten. He had suffered a broken arm and scratches to his face and spent a couple of days in hospital recovering from the attack.
He was later interviewed by police where he alleged that earlier in the day he had received a phonecall from Abdal, who was known to him, telling him to go to a postcode in Bow on the offer of potential employment opportunities. On arrival, he was met by Abdal who took him to an address where, once inside, he was taken upstairs by a number of men, including Chowdhury and Kodoris, who began assaulting him with wooden sticks.
They then searched his pockets and took his ID cards, mobile phones and £650 he had in cash. The males then demanded that he contact his friends and family, due to a misplaced belief that they were wealthy, to get them to pay money for his release. Two of the victim’s friends agreed to pay money with one handing over £500 in cash and the other £200 in cash.
“He was beaten and threatened over several hours by the group, made up of Kodoris, Chowdhury, Abdal and Sajon. They demanded the victim obtain a further £50,000 from relatives or otherwise he or his family would be killed, intimating that they had a firearm. After he could not transfer any further money, the group drove the victim to his home address,” the Met Police statement added.
The force launched an investigation and identified the group responsible through CCTV and phone work, which led to them being charged in 2018 and sentenced last week.

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