Man aged 24 abducted and killed

A 24-year-old man was abducted by a group of men and murdered, Scotland Yard said today.

Syed Shazad Abbass, of Forest Gate, east London, died in the Royal London Hospital this morning after being found with serious head injuries nearly 24 hours earlier.

The discovery came after police were called in the early of hours of yesterday by a member of the public reporting that he had seen a man being beaten and dragged into a white Audi A3 car in Earlham Grove, Forest Gate.

Despite an extensive search of the area, officers could not trace the vehicle.

Later that morning Mr Abbass was found lying partially clothed on the pavement in Flanders Road, East Ham, beside railings to some waste ground.

He was taken to the Royal London Hospital where his condition was described as critical.

A burnt-out Audi car was later found in Royston Gardens, Redbridge.

Police said it was believed that Mr Abbass had been visiting his sister in Forest Gate before returning to his home in Earlham Grove just after 3am, possibly in the Audi.

As he was walking towards his house, he was grabbed by three men and dragged into the Audi, which was driven off by a fourth suspect.

He was not seen or heard of again until he was discovered in Flanders Road.

Detectives said they wanted to hear from anyone with information about the original abduction in Earlham Grove or what happened in Flanders Road and Royston Gardens.

The suspects are described as black men in their 20s.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Broster, senior investigating officer in the case, said: "This is a complicated inquiry with a number of potential crime scenes and we need to hear from anyone with information about what happened at each of them.

"Mr Abbass went through what must have been a terrifying ordeal leaving his family devastated."