Detectives have arrested two men after a victim was kidnapped and held hostage at knifepoint in a suburban Croydon house.

The 28-year-old and the 19-year-old were arrested on suspicion of kidnap on Sunday, December 10.

This comes after a 24-year-old man was encouraged to accompany two men he had met previously to a house in Thornton Heath on Monday afternoon, December 4.

Police say the men pointed to his Rolex watch and demanded to know was it real.

His kidnapping is believed to have involved being stripped naked, tied up and threatened with a gun.

Over two days he allegedly was physically abused and suffered humiliation from a group of people. He was left with severe bruising on his lips and with a lump on his forehead.

Police added that he was threatened with knives and guns.

The victim was forced to call his parents to demand they pay his kidnappers a ransom. They refused and their son allegedly was made to hand over keys to the home.

CCTV footage on Wednesday, December 6, shows two suspects enter the house in Sydenham where they took a large sum of cash, designer handbags, designer sunglasses and Rolex watches.

The alleged kidnappers forced the victim to drive to a branch of the Metro bank in the North End, Croydon to withdraw money.

However, once outside the car, the victim fled to a nearby church and asked for help.

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.

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

Anyone with information is encouraged to call police on 101.