Nine held in Beckham kidnap case
A further four people have been arrested by armed officers in connection with the alleged plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham for a £5m (€7.8m) ransom, police said today.
Nine people have now been arrested in the case after four men and a woman were held yesterday following police raids on two addresses in London.
Scotland Yard acted after receiving information from a Sunday newspaper about the activities of a criminal gang.
The gang was infiltrated by an undercover reporter from the News of the World who discovered that they were allegedly planning to kidnap former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
Scotland Yard’s Serious and Organised Crime Squad latest raids took place late last night and early this morning.
A man and a woman were arrested at an address in Croydon in relation to the alleged plot to kidnap Mrs Beckham, wife of Manchester United star David.
And two other alleged gang members were arrested in relation to allegations of theft.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “As a result of further operations conducted late on Saturday and early on Sunday by S07 units supported by the S019 Firearms Unit, two men were arrested in relation of the theft aspect of the inquiry.
“Two other people – a man and a woman – were arrested from an address in Croydon in relation to the kidnap matters.”
“All those arrested are now in custody at central London police stations.”
The first arrests yesterday took place in Baffin Way London, E14, where three men were arrested for offences of theft and conspiracy to kidnap.
A residential premises in Morden, south London was also searched and a further two people – a man and a woman – were also arrested.
Detective Chief Superintendent John Coles, the head of SO7, said yesterday: “As a result of information from the News of the World, SO7 Kidnap Unit conducted an operation today to arrest a group of individuals who are suspected of having been involved in theft and a conspiracy to commit kidnap.
“At the present time our inquiries into these allegations are continuing.
“We are very grateful to the News of the World for their actions in this case which have assisted in the recovery of a number of valuable items and in preventing any other offences.”
