Robbers kidnapped students and made them transfer thousands of pounds

Robbers have been arrested in Manchester after they kidnapped students and forced them to transfer thousands of pounds.

Police received four reports from innocent members of the public who had been lured into an Audi A6 in Manchester city centre over the course of this week.

Once inside the car, the victims were forced to give money to the robbers, with some being made to transfer as much as £3,000.

Others were driven to petrol stations where they were then made to withdraw cash and fill up the car with petrol.

All four victims were kidnapped between Wednesday September 19 and Friday September 21.

Luckily police were able to foil a fifth attempt at the scheme after spotting a vehicle that matched the high-end motor described in the reports.

Officers in a Greater Manchester Police Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit saw the car while on patrol in the early hours of September 21.

They managed to stop the vehicle on Lloyd Street North, where inside they discovered a 19-year-old victim who had been picked up and driven away from the city centre.

Four men, aged, 25, 23, 18 and 19, have been arrested on suspicion of robbery.

Police then carried out raids on four houses in south Manchester, where they found a ‘large quantity of ammunition’.

A fifth man, 19, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing prohibited ammunition.

They are now all being held in custody for questioning.

Detective Constable Natalie McDonald of GMP’s City of Manchester team said: ‘Innocent members of the public, some of them students new to Manchester, have been victims of tricksters who then kidnapped them and forced them to hand over their money.

‘Last night, thanks to some excellent work by the TVIU, four people were arrested, during what we believe was another robbery.

‘When a person is a victim of such robbery, they can be left feeling scared to go out and can lose trust in everyone.

‘This week we have many new students coming to live in Manchester, and it is disappointing that some of their first memories of our city is that they were victims of crime.

‘I would like to reassure everyone that we are doing all that we can to prevent criminals from taking advantage, we have strong links with the universities and the councils and we have officers on dedicated patrols as part of the Student Safe campaign.’

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