Two guilty of kidnapping and strangling man, 87

Miah was found guilty of kidnap, assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice

Two men who bundled an 87-year-old man into the back of car before strangling him and threatening him with a knife have been found guilty of his kidnapping and assault.

Azizur Rahman and Shohad Miah forced the victim into the vehicle as he walked home from Oldham Central Mosque and "subjected him to a violent, sustained assault" before dumping him 15 miles away, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

They knocked out the man's teeth and left him with serious injuries including a bleed on the brain, lacerations and bruising.

Detectives said the victim was eventually released after he was robbed of his phone, money and keys and was left abandoned on a dark road in Rishworth, West Yorkshire.

Manchester Crown Court heard the man had also been stripped of his clothes and forced to drink alcohol.

The car was left burnt out in a failed plan to destroy any trace of forensic evidence, GMP said.

Det Sgt Rick Bolt said it "was not a random attack" and the victim has been "specifically targeted".

He had visited Rahman's home and performed prayers and provided amulets, an object believed to confer protection or fortune, for a family member, he said.

Azizur Rahman was found guilty of kidnap, robbery and other offences

"Fortunately, the kidnap was captured on CCTV footage, which along with other evidence, led investigation officers to the offenders."

Rahman, 38, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of kidnap, robbery, assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice at Manchester Crown Court.

Miah, 24, of Fir Bank Road, Royton, was found guilty of kidnap, assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice.

The pair will be sentenced on 25 May.