Businessman tells of family hostage ordeal
A jeweller today spoke of the horror of the night he, his wife and four children — including a baby — were held hostage by armed raiders who smashed into their Black Country home.
A jeweller today spoke of the horror of the night he, his wife and four children — including a baby — were held hostage by armed raiders who smashed into their Black Country home.
Five hooded thugs with hammers, a baseball bat and pickaxe handle, tied up Mohammed Aftab and his eldest son, Haider, aged 13.
They broke bones in Mr Aftab's toe using a hammer after he gave them a home safe wrong number and his arm with a pickaxe handle after forcing him to let them into his shop, Rofia jewellers, Dudley.
Eventually Mr Aftab, 41, made them flee — grabbing a weapon from one, hitting him with it and smashing windows in their vehicle.
"The children were very frightened and my nine-year-old daughter, Rofia, was crying," said Mr Aftab, who has run his Wellington Road business for 10 years.
