Four alleged kidnappers have been charged with modern slavery offences after Kent Police officers found two people trapped inside a lorry near Faversham.
At around 1.30am on Wednesday 13 July 2022 it was reported that two men in their 20s had been taken from separate locations in Manchester and were leaving the country against their will.
A stationary lorry was traced to a layby on the A2 near Boughton-under-Blean around an hour later, with officers being alerted to banging from within.
After freeing the victims they arrested the driver of the vehicle and carried out further enquiries to establish who else may have been involved.
This led to a car being stopped on the M40 in Oxfordshire where three other men were taken into custody.
Krekar Ibrahim Maarof, 28, of Citrus Way in Salford, Greater Manchester; Mohammed Rajab, 24, of Primrose Hill Street, Coventry; Slawomir Pietrzak, 48, from Poland; and Tuyen Phung, 34, of no fixed address, have all since been charged with conspiracy to kidnap and two offences under the Modern Slavery Act as part of an ongoing investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
All four appeared before Medway magistrates on Friday 15 July where Mr Pietrzak was released on bail with conditions and the other three men were remanded in custody. They will all next appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 12 August.
The two victims are both safe and well and have been offered safeguarding and support from partner organisations.