Pair who kidnapped and attacked elderly imam in Oldham jailed

ITV News

17-07-2025

Two men who kidnapped and violently attacked an elderly imam before trying to cover it up by setting fire to the car they used have been jailed.
The 87-year-old was taken from the streets in Oldham, bundled into the back of an Audi, blindfolded and repeatedly punched, strangled and hit with a stick.
After a "sustained and violent beating", he was then stripped to just his underpants and a 'torn and blood-stained' tee shirt and dumped on a cold and remote country road in the Rishworth area of West Yorkshire.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Azizur Rahman and his friend Shohad Miah carried out the kidnap in September 2024 after they learned the elderly man had performed a 'ritual exorcism' on Rahman's stepson because he was "believed to be possessed by evil spirits".
The imam had been asked by Rahman's estranged wife to visit their home where he said prayers and provided amulets.
After being dumped in the street the elderly victim was forced to walk for around half an hour wearing only one shoe before he knocked on at a house for help, and the emergency services were called.
He was left with a number of injuries including a bleed on the brain, a bloody wound to his ear, a swelling to his cheekbone, a large bruise to his neck and a missing tooth.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, he said the incident had left him feeling "shameful in my own community".
He said: "Before the incident, I used to go out of the house regularly and speak with members of the community. I don't go out as often anymore.
"When I do, I feel a great sense of shame over what happened to me. I am well known in the community and lots of people ask me what happened.
"I get a sense from speaking to people that they assume I must have done something wrong to be treated in such a way. This makes me feel shameful in my own community.
"Before this happened, I used to walk to mosque every day by myself with freedom and I would look forward to going. Now, even though I still walk to mosque by myself, I feel scared in case something like this happens again.
"I have been scared ever since this happened and am still not sleeping well. At night, I keep thinking about what happened to me and it keeps me awake as I run it through in my mind."
On Tuesday 15 July, the cocaine-fuelled kidnappers were jailed following the terrifying attack.
Rahman, 39, of Bluebell Walk, St Mary's Way, Oldham, who the court heard had 20 previous convictions for 30 offences and was at the time serving a suspended prison sentence for drink driving, was sentenced to 11 years and 16 weeks in prison after being found guilty of kidnap, robbery, section 18 assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice.
Miah, 25, of Firbank Road, Royton, was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of kidnap, section 20 assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice.
Speaking after the case Det Sgt Rick Bolt, of GMP's Major Incident Team, said: "This was a particularly shocking crime that targeted a vulnerable elderly man, causing him severe physical and emotional trauma.
This was not a random attack; the victim was specifically targeted due to a prior visit to Rahman's home, where he had performed prayers:
"The swift and thorough investigation by our team, utilising forensic evidence, ensured that these dangerous individuals were brought to justice.