Officers executed warrants in Lawrence Street and Stirling Drive – both Blackburn – and Winterson Road and Ormerod Street – both Accrington – yesterday (April 12) and arrested four men – aged 22, 33, 39 and 40 – on suspicion of kidnapping. The men, aged 22, 33, 39 and 40, remain in custody at this time.
Officers also recovered weapons and 50 cannabis plants during their searches.
The arrests followed an investigation we launched on June 13, 2021, after we received a call to say a man had been kidnapped and assaulted in the Birch Hall area of Darwen.
The victim was then taken to a second location and further assaulted, before he managed to escape and call for help.
It is thought the victim was targeted in a case of mistaken identity.
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, four men have been charged with conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit section 18 wounding and appeared before Blackburn magistrates this morning (April 13).
They are: Faisal Fareed, 22, of Lawrence Street Blackburn; Kasim Ahmed, 33, of Stirling Drive, Blackburn; Nicholas Shaw, 40, of Medina Close, Accrington; and Khizer Khan, 39, of Ormerod Street, Blackburn.
Shaw and Fareed have been remanded into custody until they appear at the Crown Court on May 16.
We still want to speak to 26-year-old Faizaan Fareed, from Blackburn, (pictured) as part of our enquiries.
Anybody with information on Faizaan Fareed’s whereabouts is asked to email forcecontrolroom@lancashire.police.uk or call police on 101, quoting log 1866 of June 13, 2021. For immediate sightings call 999.
