NSW Police are investigating a series of brutal kidnappings in which organised criminal groups allegedly attempted to extort large sums of cash and cryptocurrency.
In the most recent incident, a 26-year-old man's middle finger was severed with garden shears, leading police to arrest two men earlier this month.
Between January and March, police say six people were kidnapped in five separate incidents across NSW, with suspected links to organised crime.
On one of the occasions, a 21-year-old woman had several of her fingers and toes amputated and in another, a 26-year-old man was held for six days during which several of his teeth were removed with pliers.
Robbery and Serious Crime Squad commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi told media on Monday police had charged 10 people with serious crimes in relation to three of the incidents.
"It certainly is quite a high level of violence and brutality that has that has been used in these recent kidnappings," he said.
"These organised crime syndicates will go to any length to obtain their funds and this is one opportunity that they tap into.
"Even though these offences have occurred and we have had a significant number of them in a very short period, we are on top of it."
Police are operating on the belief the alleged kidnappings are not linked and were performed by separate criminal groups making use of hired "muscle".
In all of the incidents, the victims were deliberately targeted and had associations with organised crime, according to Det Sup Doueihi.
"They may not necessarily be involved in organised crime, but they are associated to members of the organised crime syndicate," he said.
Two men will face court over the incident in which the man's finger was severed, charged with a string of offences including detaining the couple against their will and participating in a criminal group.
The man was allegedly abducted along with a 24-year-old woman from a carpark in Sydney's Fairfield on January 18 and held for about 36 hours before they escaped.
During that time, they were tied to chairs and attempts were made to extort large sums of money and cryptocurrency, police will allege.
After escaping from a location at Swan Bay, about 25km north-east of Raymond Terrace, the pair called a family member who contacted police.
Doctors performed surgery on the man's finger and reattached it with the use of a metal plate, police said.
"The organisers of that offence were under the belief that these two hostages had large sums of cryptocurrency but in fact that was inaccurate," Det Sup Doueihi said.
Police have charged one man over the alleged kidnapping of a 30-year-old man who was found in Greenacre in February with injuries to his hand. Arrests are yet to made over the alleged kidnapping of another man about the same time.
Also in February, a 21-year-old woman was recovered in Karuah with injuries to her fingers and toes, after allegedly being held and tortured.
In the most recent case, a 26-year-old male victim was taken from his Smithfield home on March 9, with six men aged between 19 and 21 since charged with various weapons and kidnapping offences.
A seventh person, who is an employee of a state government agency, was later charged over the incident.
"I can only imagine it would be a very traumatic experience for someone to be abducted, detained and tortured over a period of time," Det Sup Doueihi said.
