Kidnap gang stripped £9,000 Rolex owner naked and tortured him for two days before he fled to church

A 24-year-old kidnap victim barely escaped with his life after being held hostage for more than two days, during which he was stripped naked, tied up and tortured by a vicious gang.

Police say the man was held captive at gunpoint for more than 50 hours at a suburban house in Croydon, south London, after being lured to the property on Monday (4 December).

He was viciously beaten for "extended bouts" by up to 12 men, with some of the gang kicking him repeatedly in the face, leaving him bloodied and bruised.

After his parents were unable to pay the ransom for his release, the gang forced him to hand over his keys so they could burgle their home in Sydenham.

As he approached the third evening of his ordeal, the victim eventually managed to escape when he was driven by his captors to a bank so he could withdraw money. He fled to a nearby church pleading for help and the police were called.

Detectives have now released CCTV images of two suspects they are hunting in connection with the kidnapping. Police are also hunting two brothers – Ali Dervish, 28, and Sinan Dervish, 19 – and have asked the public for information on their whereabouts.

Officers have also appealed for anyone who may have seen the victim or gang at around the time of the kidnapping to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Samuel Bennett, of the Met Police, said: "This was a vicious and prolonged attack of a nature that thankfully is very rare. It has left the victim utterly distraught and traumatised.

"We are urgently seeking any information on the individuals involved, who we believe could number up to twelve, but particularly those whose images and details we have released."

The victim's ordeal began at around 2pm on Monday when he was approached in London Road, near the junction with Lyndhurst Road, in Thornton Heath by two men he is believed to have met previously.

They encouraged him to accompany them on foot to a property on a street in the Thornton Heath area – and pointed out his gold £9,000 Rolex watch, demanding to know if it was real.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: "He was led into the house – where a group of men were waiting for him armed with weapons. Over the course of the next two days he was subjected to an extended bout of physical abuse and humiliation that included his attackers kicking him in the face which left him with severe bruising on his lips and a large lump on his forehead.

"Threats were also made with knives and a gun."

The victim was forced to phone his parents to request they hand over a significant amount of money to his kidnappers.

When they said they were unable to, their son was forced to hand over his keys to their home so two of the gang could go and burgle the address.

The pair, wearing high-vis vests, were captured on CCTV as they approached and entered the house on a road in Sydenham.

They stole a large sum of cash, designer handbags, designer sunglasses and additional Rolex watches. Overall, the value of the items stolen amounted to "a significant sum", police say.

After spending more than 50 hours being held captive, officers say the victim was then driven to a branch of the Metro bank in Croydon to withdraw money from his account.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "When the victim had got out of the car and onto the street his attackers stayed behind in the vehicle – it is believed for fear of their faces being recorded on CCTV cameras. The victim [then] saw his opportunity to escape and ran.

"He fled to a nearby church, Croydon Minster, and asked for help. The police were called and arrived shortly afterwards."

Two men, aged 39 and 58, were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping on Friday and subsequently bailed to return to a south London police station on a date in early January 2018.

Detective Sergeant Bennett asked members of the public to look carefully at the images released of the suspects still at large.

He said: "Do you recognise either of the two men shown burgling the house in the cctv images – or did you see them in Sydenham on the day in question, Wednesday, 6 December. Do you know the whereabouts of Ali or Sinan Dervish?

"Perhaps you have been offered a Rolex like the one stolen from the victim, or bought a similar model in good faith over the past few days? It is described as a 2007 model with a black face, black bezel, yellow gold body and strap – we have sourced a photo of a similar model for the public to check.

"Any information you have, however small, could prove vital to us as we piece together the events leading up to and following the kidnap. We will treat any information provided in the strictest of confidence.

"These men are dangerous and it is important that we apprehend them before they can target anyone else."

Anyone with information should call Croydon CID on 101 or tweet @MetCC. The independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.