Five Birmingham men jailed after luring victims via dating apps in string of violent robberies

Five men have been jailed today for their role in a series of violent robberies committed in Birmingham and Derby between 2023 and 2024.

Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasiim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 22 have been jailed for a combined 78 years and 7 months.

Over ten months, the men used dating apps such as Grindr to lure victims to different locations, including Golden Hillock Park in Birmingham and Derby City Centre, before robbing them. They stole over £100,000.

They also pretended to be injured on some occasions to trick victims into helping them.

The men - who are all from Birmingham - trapped their victims for hours and attacked them, leaving them with injuries such as a broken eye socket, a broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder. Many of them required hospital treatment.

Whilst they had their victims trapped, the group used their phones to transfer large sums of money out of their bank accounts. They also stole vehicles, house keys, and IDs before leaving them stranded.

In most of these attacks the suspects concealed their identity with masks or face coverings or held their victims down with their faces in the mud to prevent them from being able to identify them.

Below shows a video from West Midlands Police of the actions the group of men took.

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