Student Kidnapped, Tortured With Cigarette Butts, Drugged And Robbed Of His Savings

A university student on a night out was kidnapped and tortured by a criminal gang before being threatened to hand over his life savings, a court heard Friday.

The horrific incident happened to a 21-year-old university student from Leeds, a city in northern England in October 2019. The victim, who remains unnamed, underwent the kidnap ordeal and torture for almost a day and night.

Zakariya Osman and Harris Saqib were handed extended prison sentencing Friday totaling 50 years, after they pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and kidnapping, reported local news outlet Leeds Live.

The incident happened on Oct. 17, 2019, almost a month after the victim moved into Leeds as a university student. The victim, who left a nightclub after meeting his friends in the early hours, was lured into a car by Osman, Saqib and another person. He was then threatened with a knife and was told he was “getting robbed,” Carmel Pearson, the prosecutor, told the court.

The suspects then forced the victim to hand over his card and pin number. They reportedly punched the victim when the pin number did not function at an ATM. The violence grew more sadistic as he was kept in the car for around 22 hours.

The suspects reportedly used cigarette butts to burn his face, arms and body. The victim only has a vague recollection of the assault as he was forced to swallow tablets, drink vodka and smoke cannabis. He was then ordered to transfer £10,000 (around $13,800) from his accounts, reported local news outlet Yorkshire Evening Post.

“Because of the large amount of money, he was asked many questions by people at the bank and it was a slow process. He was nervous that the bank would sense the tension in his voice on the telephone,” Pearson told the court.

“The whole time he was attacked and forced to persuade the bank of the legitimacy of the transfers,” he added.

A total of £4,810 (around $6,640) was transferred from the victim’s accounts to that of the suspects’ before he was released from the car. He was also threatened to be murdered if he attempted to report the incident to the police. He was released from captivity by around 1:00 a.m. the next morning, without any cash or mobile phone. The victim then underwent treatment for the burns and bruises at a hospital but was left permanently scarred with his injuries.

Osman also pleaded guilty to two additional offenses of a robbery unrelated to the crime.

“All robberies are serious but the robbery and kidnap of (the student) is a chilling crime,” Tom Bayliss, the judge who sentenced the pair said. “ It was committed against a young man whose life has been changed by your actions,” he added.