Ajay Kaushal was arrested by pure chance. One of Britain's most wanted, the Stretford man had fled the country before he was due stand trial accused of the brutal kidnap and torture of a Lancashire businessman.
He would be held for 10 hours until £14,000 in cash and a bag full of gold bars, watches and jewellery was handed over by his family at a meeting point off junction nine of the M60 near the Trafford Centre. With the ransom secured the victim was dumped in the street near the Robin Hood pub in Stretford with tape wrapped around his head, wearing nothing but socks and a pair of torn underpants.
But detectives refused to give up the hunt. Speaking as part of a most wanted appeal in 2009, Det Insp Simon Brooksbank called on the public to help bring Kaushal to justice. "We found Kaushal's identification documents on him, which helped us confirm his identity and corroborate it with Lancashire police," Deputy Police Superintendent Umesh Gaonkar told the press, adding the fugitive would be handed over to British detectives. But, in a series of events a coroner would later describe as 'reading like a crime novel', Kaushal would never again set foot on British soil.
"He said he was fine," she said. "I think he has been killed. I believe that. It could have been anybody. They could have given him something in his food.” Further confusion was caused by inconclusive toxicology reports and evidence from cell mates was inconsistent. It was also unclear why there was a delay in response from guards and what happened at two hospitals where he was treated.