Major manhunt for father who abducted three young sons

A major manhunt has been launched for a father and his three young sons after he snatched them from an address at knifepoint.

Imran Safi showed up unannounced at the address in Coulsdon, south London, as the three children were playing in the garden last Thursday, police said.

A woman who was with the children heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see the 26-year-old brandishing a blade, which he used to threaten her as he abducted the boys by force, according to Scotland Yard.

The woman was assaulted but did not suffer any serious physical injuries during the confrontation, which police said had left her "understandably distressed".

Bilal, six, Mohammed Ebrar, five, and Mohammed Yaseen, three, were bundled into the back of a vehicle and taken from the Coulsdon Road house at around 6pm.

They have not been seen since.

Hundreds of officers have now been called in by the country’s largest police force to help track down the young family, who have so far disappeared without a trace.

Detectives believe there is a “strong possibility” Safi has already succeeded in taking them abroad.

Commander John Savelly said the boys “may very well be stashed away in the London area or elsewhere”, but added: “The longer time goes on, the more we believe the possibility is that somehow he has managed to get them out of the country.”

He said Safi - who is an Afghani national with links to Pakistan - did not have the boys’ passports.

“Not legitimate passports, anyway,” Mr Savell said.

All of the children are understood to be Afghani nationals who moved to the country with their family in recent years.

The force is working with national and international agencies to identify any travel to a foreign country and an all-ports alert was issued shortly after they were taken.

Explaining why investigators had grown to suspect the family were now abroad, Ch Supt Dave Stringer said: "It would be quite difficult to keep three young boys completely hidden for a week."

Launching an urgent appeal on Thursday afternoon, two of the officers leading the investigation said the abduction appeared to be pre-planned because Safi and the boys had not been spotted since.

While officers have recently recovered the car in which the boys were taken - a red Nissan Qashqai - it was not picked up on any CCTV in the wider area during the escape.

Police suspect that associates helped Safi execute the plot and have arrested and bailed six men and two women, aged between 17 and 37, on suspicion of involvement in the abduction. All were described as relatives or friends.

Safi does not “serious criminal background”, police said, and they do not believe there is any immediate risk to the boys’ lives.

Mr Stringer said: "We think there are people connected with the family or local in the community who will know what has happened, will know why it has happened and I would very strongly appeal to them to do the right thing.

"These children were happy, the photos show they were happy, they were happy, they were settled, they should have been returning to school imminently.

"They should have been seeing their friends, they should be getting looked after in a safe place, in their own beds and we obviously want to get them back as quickly as possible."

Scotland Yard is appealing for information regarding the movements of the red Nissan Qashqai car, registration PK13 WFO, throughout last Thursday afternoon in the Croydon area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police immediately through the investigation control room on 07942599374 – a number that police say would be answered round the clock.

Any members of the public who sees Safi are advised to avoid approaching him but call police immediately on 999 quoting the crime reference number 6143/20AUG20.