By Daniella White
A man who allegedly abducted, drugged, sexually assaulted and extorted a woman who was lured to a Sydney address under the pretence of selling illegal tobacco has been refused bail in court after he was extradited from Victoria.
Police will allege Yanyu Mu, 29, photographed the woman during the assault and threatened to release the images unless the woman paid him $300,000.
Police extradited the man from Melbourne to Sydney over the alleged kidnapping earlier this year.Credit: NSW Police
Mu was arrested on Thursday in Oakleigh East, in Melbourne’s south-east, seven weeks after the alleged kidnapping in Epping in Sydney. He was extradited to Sydney on Friday and did not apply for bail when he appeared via audiovisual link at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.
Police allege the incident began on April 20, when officers went to an Epping address about 6.45pm and were told the woman, 36, had been forced into a Toyota Camry by a group of unknown men.
Speaking before the accused faced court on Saturday, Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi said police were alerted after members of the public witnessed the victim allegedly being abducted. He said the alleged attack was linked to an Asian organised-crime network.
He said the woman did not know her attackers, but it would be alleged she went to the Epping location for a prearranged meeting with another woman.
“She was lured to the location under the pretence that she was going to sell those people some tobacco, and when she arrived she was abducted,” Doueihi said.
About 1pm the next day, detectives found the woman at a different address in Sydney’s west. The woman told police she had been drugged and sexually assaulted. Detectives immediately took her to hospital for treatment.
“The drug that was used was enough to almost render the victim unconscious,” Doueihi said.
Police said they searched a home in Eastwood on April 22 and found clothes belonging to the woman, prohibited drugs, and bindings – believed to have been used during the alleged sexual assault.
The items – which police said were all found in a bin – were seized for further forensic examination.
“Two male suspects were identified as a result of those forensic links, a 29-year-old male and a 38-year-old male,” Doueihi said. “It was established that both males had moved to Victoria.”
Detectives established Strike Force Held to investigate and about 8am on Thursday – with assistance from Victoria Police – arrested the 29-year-old man in Oakleigh East.
On Friday, detectives extradited Mu to Sydney and took him to Mascot police station.
They charged him with offences including kidnapping, knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group, aggravated sexual assault in company and depriving liberty, intentionally recording intimate images without consent, threatening to distribute intimate images without consent, and using an intoxicating substance to commit an indictable offence.
He has not entered any pleas. The matter returns to court on August 8.
Investigations into the alleged kidnapping and assault continue.
Police said in the statement the 38-year-old man was arrested for unrelated Victorian matters and remains in custody there. He will be extradited to NSW when those matters are resolved.
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