KEY POINTS:
A 60-year-old Pizza Hut worker who was abducted and left in the boot of his two-door hatchback was threatened with at least one weapon before being robbed of an "almost insignificant" amount of money, police have revealed.
The man was driven around in the boot of his Mitsubishi Mirage for about an hour and half after delivering pizza to a Howick property, where he was attacked from behind about 2pm on Sunday.
Detective Senior Sergeant Pete Jones of Otara CIB told the Herald the man's attackers had threatened him with a weapon. He would not say what it was but said the offenders had followed him towards his car after denying knowledge of the pizza order.
They stole the pizzas and his wallet, forced him into the boot and drove his car around the eastern suburbs, believed to have included Howick and Mt Wellington and possibly a motorway, before fleeing.
Mr Jones said the man was not sure where he had been driven and did not believe the nature of driving would have attracted anyone's attention.
However, he said: "He felt that they were making a lot of noise with the radio in the vehicle and all of that to try and maybe cover up any noise that he was trying to make while he was in the boot."
Mr Jones would not say where the car was left because it was "significant to the inquiry".
"It's a hatchback so it wasn't an enclosed boot and I think he's got out through the back seat."
The keys were still in the car and the man was able to drive to a relative's home, where he called police.
Officers had been searching for the man and his vehicle since the initial attack, after receiving a call from an apparent witness.
Mr Jones said the motivation for the attack appeared to be money, but he would not say how much was taken.
"It was a very small amount of money - almost insignificant."
The man did not suffer significant injury but was traumatised.
Police are extremely concerned by the "unusual" incident.
"It's despicable and to be honest I don't believe the offenders will know just how traumatic it was for the victim," Mr Jones said.
"Anyone being put in that situation where they're at first abducted and then placed in a boot is terrifying and obviously we're pretty concerned about the possibilities, and the victim is very concerned about the possibilities from when he was put into that boot and taken away ... The fear of the unknown is just huge."
Police interviewed the man using his daughter as an interpreter because he is Italian and speaks little English.
They interviewed him again yesterday and said they were following "positive lines of inquiry".
A team of 12 officers is working on the investigation.
