One of the Watford men behind a plan to dress as police and kidnap the boss of a London currency exchange has been jailed for six years.

Suleman Bhatti, 29, of St Georges Road, was convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to steal after a trial at St Albans Crown Court.

Bhatti was jailed on Monday after the court heard how he and the brains behind the operation Zafar Karadal had plotted to kidnap the man, bundle him into a waiting car and ultimately rob him.

Karadal, 28, of Longspring Watford, worked in a currency exchange in London, and provided all the necessary equipment to convince their target he was being arrested by bona fide police officers. He was jailed for seven years last week.

When police stopped a Vauxhall Vectra on the sliproad to the M25 in May last year, they found inside a blue flashing light, police stab vest, radio, earpiece and fake police ID.

The men planned to pass as police officers to carry out a kidnap in broad daylight in front of customers and staff and take the victim away from the scene in order to use force upon him, the court heard.

Another Watford man, doorman Sayed Shah, 30, of St Georges Road, was also stopped on the slip road. He admitted being offered £7,000 to be involved in the job, but denied it was a “hit” and that it was a debt recovery.

He said that he and fellow doorman at Inhibitions Gentleman’s Club in Hayes, Ian Gibb, 42, from Slough, were having doubts about becoming involved and the legitimacy of the job.

They were cleared of the charges.