Four men have been bailed to return to a south London police station next year in connection with a man being kidnapped in Thornton Heath.

Two men, aged 39 and 58, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap on Friday (December 8).

A further two men, aged 28 and 19, were then arrested for the same offence on Sunday (December 10).

All four have subsequently been bailed until early January, the Metropolitan Police said.

Enquiries continue to trace two outstanding suspects caught on CCTV in high visibility clothing, the Met added.

The men were arrested after a man was kidnapped, stripped naked and held hostage for 50 hours at an address in Thornton Heath.

The 24-year-old man's ordeal - which included being tied up and threatened with a gun - began at around 2pm on Monday, December 4 when he was approached in London Road, near the junction with Lyndhurst Road, by two men he is believed to have met previously.

They encouraged him to accompany them on foot to a property on a street in the Thornton Heath area - and pointed out his gold Rolex watch (a 2007 model worth around £9,000), demanding to know if it was real.

He was led into the house - where a group of men were waiting for him armed with weapons.

These two men were seen to approach the victim's parents' house
These two men were seen to approach the man's parents' house

Over the course of the next 50 hours, police say he was subjected to an extended bout of physical abuse and humiliation that included his attackers kicking him in the face which left him with severe bruising on his lips and a large lump on his forehead.

Threats were also made with knives and a gun.

During his imprisonment at the house, the victim was forced by the men to phone his parents to request that they hand over a significant sum of money to his kidnappers.

When they said they were unable to, their son was forced to hand over his keys to their home so two of the gang could go and burgle the address.

CCTV footage released by detectives captures the moment, on Wednesday, December 6, that two of the suspects - who are still being sought - approach and enter the house on a road in Sydenham.

The men took a large sum of cash, designer handbags, designer sunglasses and further Rolex watches. Overall the value of the items stolen amounted to a significant sum.

As his forced imprisonment approached its third evening, a number of the group forced the victim to get into a car in order to drive to a bank in North End, in Croydon town centre, to withdraw money from his account.

When the victim had got out of the car and onto the street his attackers stayed behind in the vehicle - it is believed for fear of their faces being recorded on CCTV cameras.

The victim saw his opportunity to escape and ran. He fled to a nearby church, Croydon Minster, and asked for help. The police were called and arrived shortly afterwards.

Detective Sergeant Samuel Bennett, of Croydon CID, said: "This was a vicious and prolonged attack of a nature that thankfully is very rare. It has left the victim utterly distraught and traumatised.

Police would still like to question this man
Police would still like to question this man

"We are urgently seeking any information on the other individuals involved, who we believe could number up to 12, but particularly those whose images and details we have released, notably the two men who showed up at the address in high visibility vests.

"Do you recognise either of the two men shown burgling the house in the CCTV images - or did you see them in Sydenham on the day in question, Wednesday, December 6.

"Perhaps you have been offered a Rolex like the one stolen from the victim, or bought a similar model in good faith over the past few days?

"It is described as a 2007 model with a black face, black bezel, yellow gold body and strap - we have sourced a photo of a similar model for the public to check.

"Any information you have, however small, could prove vital to us as we piece together the events leading up to and following the kidnap. We will treat any information provided in the strictest of confidence.

"These men are dangerous and it is important that we apprehend them before they can target anyone else."

Anyone with information should call Croydon CID on 101 or tweet @MetCC. The independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.