A Pakistani police commander who ended the dramatic movie-style kidnapping of a five-year-old Manchester boy visited Redbridge where he was commended by the Mayor.

Commander Chaubry Khalid Mahmood, was recognised by British League of Muslims’ chairman Bashir Chaudhry, who invited him to the UK for a tour of Whitehall.

He met MP James Brokenshire, Minister for Crime Prevention, along with the family of kidnapped Sahil Saheed, the five-year-old from Oldham.

Mr Mahmood described, through Mr Chaudhry, also chairman of the Ilford Muslim Community Centre, interpreting, the moments leading up to the discovery of the boy standing alone outside a school in Lalamusa, a turbulent district of Pakistan fraught with crime.

“The kidnappers demanded about �1million for Sahil, who was visiting family - several came up with the money, which was transferred to the kidnapper’s bank account in Paris - but we knew where they were all along using mobile tracking.

“Police from another district cornered them and arrested them, but en-route, the kidnapper’s friends pounced on police, one was killed in the cross-fire.”

Mayor Jim O’Shea, presenting the Redbridge Coat of Arms to Mr Mahmood stood listening to the officer’s account before saying: “That is a story that could not be made up, it is like something from an action movie.” He joked that if the movie made the big screen, he would play himself.

Mr Mahmood added the kidnap was the biggest case he had worked on in his 40-year police career, and the majority of the money was recovered.

“The kidnappers only spent �1,000, the remaining money of the million was recovered.”