Man kidnapped and dragged from car by gang

A man suffered serious injuries after he was kidnapped on a busy road in Hemel Hempstead last night (Tuesday, March 29).
Sainsbury's Apsley MillsSainsbury's Apsley Mills
Sainsbury's Apsley Mills

The victim, a 23-year-old man, was seen being dragged out of his car, a black VW Golf, by a gang of four men into a white van on Belswains Lane just after 6pm.

He had been parked waiting to collect his girlfriend from work.

Around 45 minutes later, he turned up near Sainsbury’s in Apsley with serious injuries before he was taken to hospital for treatment.

The kidnappers are described as being dressed casually, wearing baseball caps, casual dress and what appeared to be distinctive blue surgical gloves.

Detective Inspector Matt Phillips is now appealing to the public for information to help the investigation.

He said: “Belswains Lane is a busy place and this incident happened in the middle of the rush hour period where there were a number of motorists and pedestrians who may have witnessed the kidnap but not appreciated what they were seeing at the time which is understandable.

“I need anyone who saw the incident and specifically the index number of the van to contact police on 101 as quickly as possible.

“These men would have stood out because of the gloves they had on contrasted sharply to the informal outfits they were wearing.

“The way they were acting would have been highly noticeable to anyone in the vicinity.

“The victim also had a black Samsung Galaxy S2 mobile phone and his house keys stolen during the offence which are still outstanding.”