KEY POINTS:
Police are looking for two women and a man in connection with the "well planned" abduction of a pizza delivery man in Auckland yesterday.
The Pizza Hut in Highland Park received a call for an order to a Vincent St house in Howick about 3pm.
But when the
delivery man, 60, arrived at the house, the occupants said they knew nothing of the delivery.
When he walked back down the driveway to return to his car, three men approached him, Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Gutrie said.
They took the pizzas and his wallet, picked him up and shut him in the boot of his own car.
"They (the offenders) were waiting for him when he came out at the end of that driveway, so they'd certainly put some planning into it," Mr Gutrie said.
They then drove around for about two hours before stopping and letting the man out. They are believed to have fled on foot.
A neighbour on Vincent St who saw the abduction called police.
The pizza delivery man, who lives in Mt Wellington, is Italian and speaks little English so police interviewed him with his daughter translating.
"He's very shaken but able to talk to us and doesn't appear to be seriously injured," Mr Gutrie said.
Police were unsure yet where the man was dropped off.
"The only reason we don't know is getting through the language difficulty and sitting down and going through all those sorts of things."
Mr Gutrie said the case was unusual.
"It doesn't happen very often where the victim is actually kidnapped.
"Sometimes they get called and they get robbed but to actually take the victim away in his own car is unusual."
Police are still looking for the offenders but a description had not been released last night. The victim is not believed to have known the offenders.
The man's car has been taken away for forensic testing.
Pizza Hut chief executive Russel Creedy said he was yet to find out who the worker was.
"We haven't had any contact with him. We're just waiting for him to be interviewed by the police ... we don't know whether it was a personal thing. We won't know until we talk to him."
