A group of men have been arrested following reports a man was assaulted and 'forced' into a BMW in Tameside in the early hours this morning.

At around 2am (January 24), officers were called to reports of a possible abduction on Chester Avenue in Dukinfield.

It is believed a group of six men assaulted another man and forced him into a silver BMW 4x4 before driving away towards Yew Tree Lane.

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Police have arrested five men, aged 23, 28, 32, 32 and 35, on suspicion of kidnap.

The group remains in custody for questioning.

But the force said two more men may still be at large and police are carrying out extensive enquiries to trace their whereabouts.

Greater Manchester Police is now appealing to members of the public for any information about the incident and the possible two outstanding men.

Detective Superintendent Gareth Jenkins of GMP Tameside said: “The priority here is to locate anyone else who may have been involved in the incident.

“This is a fast-moving investigation and whilst we already have five men in custody, officers are working around the clock and carrying out extensive enquiries to locate anyone else who might have been involved and to piece together the circumstances.

“I understand the concern this will cause in the local community, but I can assure you that we are treating it as a targeted and isolated incident and believe there to be no wider risk to the public.

“We are appealing to any witnesses - or anyone with relevant information or footage (including CCTV, mobile or dashcam) - to make contact with police as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information should call the police on 0161 856 9262 quoting incident number 217 of 24/01/2024.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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