Two brothers and accomplice jailed for total of 45 years after kidnapping businessman in Wolverhampton in 'terrifying ordeal'
Two brothers and an accomplice have been jailed for a total of 45 years after kidnapping a businessman in Wolverhampton city centre.
Baljit Baghral and his brother David, along with Shanu Shanu, ambushed their victim as he walked to his car after work on November 10 last year, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
They bundled him into a van and drove him, bound and blindfolded, to a shop in Coseley where they threatened him with violence and held a gun against his head.
He was held captive for a number of hours and his ordeal only ended after the men persuaded one of his work colleagues to leave £19,000 in a bag at a bus stop as a ransom.
The men then left him in the van, which they later claimed was stolen, in a Coseley street where he managed to get out and call police.
Using CCTV, ANPR and mobile phone data, investigators pieced together what had happened and even discovered a group chat called 'Robbers Gang' on Baljit’s phone which David had created two days before the kidnap.
David Baghral was arrested on October 18 from his home in Lanesfield, while his brother Baljit was arrested at Birmingham Airport the same day as he returned from Cyprus.
Shanu Shanu was arrested later on November 18 at Heathrow Airport as he tried to head to America.
David and Baljit Baghral both denied conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to blackmail and possession of imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
But they were found guilty after a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court last month.
David Baghral, aged 28, of Genge Road, and Baljit Baghral, 33, of Sandwell Road, Birmingham, have now both been jailed for 16 years.
Shanu, aged 22, of Southall, Ealing, who had admitted the same charges at the start of the trial, was sentenced to 13 years and four months.
Detective Constable Dan David, from The Major Crime Team, said: "These men subjected their victim to a terrifying ordeal which lasted for hours and left him fearing for his safety and even his life.
"They planned this venture with the sole purpose of extracting a large sum of money but instead they now face a significant amount of time in jail."
