Southall Man Jailed for Part in Kidnapping
Businessman bundled into car with gun held against his head
Shanu Shanu. Picture: West Midlands Police
July 11, 2023
A 22-year-old man from Southall has received a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted of kidnapping.
Shanu Shanu was imprisoned for 13 years and four months after admitting his part in a plot to try and obtain a £19,000 ransom for the return of a businessman he and his accomplices had tied up in a van.
Along with two brothers from Birmingham, Baljit and David Baghral, he ambushed the victim as he walked to his car after work in Wolverhampton city centre on 10 November last year.
They bundled him into a van and drove him, bound and blindfolded, to a shop nearby where they threatened him with violence and held a gun against his head.
He was held captive for several hours and his ordeal only ended after the gang persuaded one of his work colleagues to leave £19,000 in a bag at a bus stop as a ransom.
They left the kidnapped man in the van but he managed to get out and call the 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 18 October, while his brother Baljit was arrested at Birmingham Airport the same day as he returned from Cyprus.
Shanu Shanu was arrested later on 18 November at Heathrow Airport as he tried to head to the US.
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.
On 10 July the Baghral brothers were jailed for 16 years. Shanu Shanu had pleaded guilty at the start of the trial.
DC Dan David, from West Midlands Police 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."
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