Agents face 14 years in jail over alleged aggravated kidnapping and robbery

The men, three real estate agents and a taxi driver, allegedly lured a tradesman to a property in late August before allegedly subjecting him to a violent assault and stealing $6,700 from his bank account.

The victim was reportedly kicked, punched, and choked during the attack, before the men allegedly threatened to kill his family.

The four men appeared before the court in the last week of October, charged jointly with aggravated robbery and kidnapping the tradesman “with intent to hold him for ransom”.

They were granted name suppression and bail, with conditions requiring them to surrender their passports.

According to the New Zealand Herald, the three real estate agents, who appeared to have active property listings across South Auckland at the time of the incident, have now been stood down by their agency.

The network said it notified the Real Estate Authority (REA) of the police charges and would fully cooperate with the police during the investigation.

The REA said it would assess the case and deliver an appropriate regulatory response.

It is understood that one of the agents has now resigned from his position.

The tradesman told the Herald the alleged incident happened on Saturday, 29 August, after he had been contacted by an unknown number for a job inspection at a South Auckland property around midday.

He said a four-wheel-drive pulled up soon after, with three men emerging from the vehicle and allegedly launching an attack.

He described the group as “dressed to kill”, wearing expensive clothes, and claimed they appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

According to his account, the attackers forced him to the ground, repeatedly punched and kicked him before putting him in a chokehold and trying to haul him inside the property, before a taxi driver joined the group.

The tradesman then alleged that two of the attackers restrained him by holding his arms while a third man, whom he identified as the “ringleader”, seized his phone while another man allegedly took his keys.

He said the group then demanded access to his phone, where they located a courier invoice displaying his residential address.

They also allegedly went through his photo gallery and captured screenshots of pictures showing his wife and children.

During the ordeal, the tradesman alleged that one of the men struck him in the face and threatened to kill his family.

To appease the attackers, the tradesman offered to open his banking app, where $6,700 was subsequently transferred from his ANZ account to a Westpac account.

The tradesman later recognised the receiving bank account as belonging to someone who had previously paid him for renovation work.

He told the NZ Herald he had carried out renovations for two of the men at an investment property they were preparing to sell, but abandoned the job following a dispute over unpaid work.

The tradesman alleged that the taxi driver then grabbed him from behind in a chokehold as the men questioned whether he could secure additional funds from his wife or friends.

The group eventually left the property.

Following the alleged incident, the tradesman went to the police, where he identified three of the men.

While still recovering from the attack, he allegedly received a phone call from a private number that purportedly threatened to harm him and his family.

Shortly afterwards, he received another call from a listed number, which is believed to be a ‘pocket dial ’, with the number linked to the agent marketing the property where the alleged assault took place.

He then rang the police once more and disclosed the information, which led to the four men's arrest.

While out on bail, they are due to reappear in the Manukau District Court in February next year. If convicted, they could face up to 14 years in prison.