Two men and a teen have been sentenced for a kidnapping and robbery in 2017 where a man was Tasered in Coventry. They pleaded guilty to the offences at Warwick Crown Court on Friday (24 July).
The offence was linked to events that followed a house party in Radford in October 2017. Shaan Khanyal, of Achal Close in Foleshill, told a woman who attended the party, that she owed money for the food and drinks that had been purchased. She told her partner and they agreed to hand over £30 by the end of the month.
They had thought they could give Khanyal a quick bank transfer, but he insisted on meeting them at a flat in Radford. When they arrived, the couple – both aged 19 – were told to deactivate the location settings on their phones as they handed over the money.
The alleged debt didn’t end there though and Arbaaz Chauhan, of Albert Fearn Gardens, told them they were going for a long drive to be taught a lesson; the woman was told to stay in the flat.
Chauhan took the man in his Audi A3 back to his home address before using a Taser all over his body and hitting him with a steering lock knocking him out. The group of men then stripped the man naked and threw eggs and flour at him.
They stole jewellery and a Playstation 4 to make up for the bogus debt owed to them and forced the man to go to a cashpoint to withdraw more money. When the man fell in an alleyway, they stubbed cigarettes out on his body and stamped on him.
After the ordeal where an alleged gun was even pointed at their heads, the man and woman were simply dropped back to their home address and confusingly had their Playstation handed back.
The next day (30 October 2017) Chauhan unexpectedly turned up at their flat and threatened them not to tell anyone about what had happened, before Tasering the man and bizarrely, stealing the Playstation again as a punishment for allegedly telling people about the night before.
A boy – who was aged 15 at the time – was arrested after his support worker called police regarding information that showed he was involved in the kidnap and false imprisonment. Both Khanyal and Chauhan were also identified by the victims following an identification parade.
Last week, 24-year-old Shaan Khanyal was sentenced to 10 years and five months in prison after pleading guilty to commit robbery, kidnap and false imprisonment. His accomplice Arbaaz Chauhan, aged 23, was sentenced to nine years for the same offences. The teenager was given a two-year detention and training order.
DC Richard Walker, from force CID, said: “This was an absolutely sickening sustained attack on two people who had done nothing wrong. They were hounded, harassed and humiliated and I hope the prison sentences offer them some comfort after what they went through.
“I am glad to see these men behind bars and I would always urge anyone who has ever been subjected to anything of this nature to come forward. We will always do all we can to find those responsible.”