A man who was being held for ransom in a western Sydney house for close to a week was tortured by his captors who forcibly removed his teeth.
NSW Police said Tactical Operations Unit officers raided a house in Belmore on Tuesday evening, arresting six men – aged between 19 and 21 – and charged them with various weapons and kidnapping offences.
The men grabbed their 26-year-old victim about 5.20am last Thursday from a home in Smithfield, forcing him into a vehicle, police said on Wednesday.
“The six males were wearing dark clothing, face coverings, gloves – armed with a sledgehammer and a firearm,” Robbery and Serious Crime Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi said.
“This is a very serious crime. The level of violence displayed was extreme.”
The victim was assessed by paramedics before being taken to hospital in a stable condition for treatment.
“We will allege in court that these men are part of a criminal enterprise in an effort to extort a large sum of money from this man and from this man’s associates,” Det Supt Doueihi said.
The men held their victim and physically abused and tortured him over six days.
During the ordeal the man, who was not known to police, was bound had his teeth forcibly removed.
It’s not clear why the man was targeted, police said.
A 19-year-old man was arrested inside the home and three 20-year-olds were arrested nearby shortly after.
A further two men – aged 19, and 21 – were arrested overnight at Mays Hill.
All six men are charged with a string of serious offences including kidnapping for ransom, actual bodily harm, demanding property with menaces and participating in a criminal group.
Five of the men were also charged with possessing and unauthorised pistol.
All of the men were refused bail and due to appear at Parramatta and Bankstown courts on Wednesday.
“Our detectives and specialist units worked tirelessly around the clock for the entire six days in order to achieve our goal of recovering this hostage in a safe condition,” Det Sup Doueihi said.
Investigations are continuing with police expecting further arrests.
