Taxi Driver Online

Taxi firm boss endured torture



A BUSINESSMAN was kidnapped and held prisoner in a flat in Bury for a £350,000 ransom, a court heard.

Property developer Wajid Iqbal (34) was stripped to his boxer shorts and taped to a chair before being tortured.

It was alleged he was burned with a blow torch and given electric shocks with jump leads connected to his ear and other parts of his body.

Advertisement continued...The victim further had bolt cutters placed around his fingers and threats were made to cut them off during the 27-hour ordeal, a jury heard at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, on Monday.

It was also claimed one of the gang spun the barrel of a revolver and fired it at the father-of-two in a game of Russian Roulette.

During the kidnap, the captors made Iqbal phone friends to raise a £350,000 ransom for his safe release before they finally let him go when they realised they would not be paid.

"He was repeatedly tortured and unpleasant injuries were inflicted," said Mr David Friesner, prosecuting.

Seven men deny conspiracy to kidnap, blackmail and cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

They are Richard Thompson (36), of Waterson Avenue, Moston; Marlon Jones (32), of Studland Road, Peel Hall; Leon Harris, (26), of Northwood Road, Longsight; Joel Johnson (31), of Melbury Avenue, Burnage; Darren Ewing (27), of Paulham Road, Withington; Tarik Khaliq (36), of Daleside, Chester; and Mohammed Banaras (31), of Earl Marshal Road, Sheffield.

Khaliq also denies perverting the course of justice by making 289 mobile phone calls from prison to pressure Iqbal to drop the case.

Mr Friesner said the victim, who also runs a taxi firm, was lured from his home in Cheadle Hulme at 8.30pm on January 10, 2006, by Thompson on the pretext of a business deal.

The victim was taken to a flat in Bury rented by Mohamed Banaras where he was doused with petrol, beaten, choked and threatened with a gun before being transferred to a garage in Preston.

The court heard that the victim's DNA was found inside a cupboard in the Bury flat, rented to Banaras, a shop manager, who paid £3,000 up front for it.

The trial is expected to last three months.

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