Four Men Jailed for Brutal Double Kidnapping in Reading
Reading Crown Court has slammed four men with a combined 44 years behind bars for a chilling double kidnapping in Reading. The Serious and Organised Crime Unit of Thames Valley Police cracked the case wide open after a painstaking investigation.
The Sentences: Who Got What?
- Erlind Demiraj, 32, from Reading, copped 16 years. Convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to blackmail, and admitted perverting the course of justice.
- Garcon Lala, 28, of London, got 12 years after pleading guilty to false imprisonment, conspiracy to blackmail, conspiracy to kidnap, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
- Gevin Pasha, 22, from Northampton, received 11 years for false imprisonment, conspiracy to blackmail, conspiracy to kidnap, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
- Klej Doci, 20, in East Sussex, was sentenced to five years for false imprisonment and conspiracy to kidnap.
A fifth man, Gentjan Kica from Reading, was found not guilty of conspiracy to blackmail.
Inside the Kidnapping Horror
On the evening of 8 December 2021, Lala, Doci, and Pasha kidnapped two men in their twenties from a Maiden Place car park in Reading. The victims were dragged 70 miles to Northampton and held captive in a bedsit for five terrifying days.
Rescue came on 13 December 2021 when armed police stormed an address in Northampton. Pasha tried to attack officers but was soon caught. The two men were found barricaded in a kitchen, with one suffering from cigarette burns and other nasty injuries.
Ransom, Manhunt, and International Arrest
Demiraj, the ringleader, demanded ransom from the victims’ family. The family had been blackmailed and threatened over a supposed debt throughout 2021—a campaign that ended in the brutal kidnappings.
Police launched an international manhunt. Demiraj was finally tracked down in the Netherlands while trying to slip across from Belgium. He was swiftly extradited back to the UK for trial.
Detective Constable Helen Gilbert of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: “These four dangerous men will now face a significant period in prison to reflect on their criminal actions in this unacceptable incident.”
“Thames Valley Police will never tolerate this sort of offending and this case shows that we will tirelessly pursue offenders to justice.”
“My thanks go to Northamptonshire Police, the National Crime Agency, and international law enforcement partners for their vital roles in rescuing the victims and detaining Erlind Demiraj.”
