A police hunt to find those responsible for kidnapping a man, tying his hands together and leaving him in a car with gas canisters in Birmingham will continue.

The victim, an Asian man in his mid-30s, was discovered in the two-door vehicle on a road in an industrial area of the city by a passing lorry driver at 10.20am on Sunday.

West Midlands Police said he had been put in the car against his will and told that it contained a bomb.

The two-door vehicle was parked on the junction of Clarel Avenue and Landor Street in Saltley.

The man, who has not been identified, was positioned in the front of the car with about six beer-sized gas canisters around his abdomen, said police.

He was removed from the vehicle following a seven-hour operation involving the emergency services, an Army bomb disposal team and trained negotiators.

Ch Supt Tom Coughlan said: “This incident has now become a criminal investigation. The man appears at this stage to have been placed in the car against his will possibly with a view to scaring him.

“He has been told there was a bomb in the car with him. We are seeking to establish the actual nature of the device that was placed in the car. This is being treated as a kidnap situation. It would almost certainly have a criminal motive to it.

“This is a really, really unusual incident and quite out of the norm.”

The man was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg but was otherwise “fine”, police said.