Two Polish men who are being sought for extradition over violent crimes they are alleged to have committed in their home country are believed to be in hiding in Croydon, police have revealed.
The two men, Krzysztof Malkowski and Michal Ochecki, are among 17 people the Metropolitan Police’s extradition unit are looking for as a part of an operation called ‘Sunfire 4’.
Officers are now appealing for the public to come forward with any information that can lead to their capture. The police have urged the public not to approach the men.
On September 2012, Malkowski and a fellow thug lured a victim into a flat in Bydgoszcz, Poland, where they inflicted severe bodily harm to him.
The victim was left with damaged lungs, kidney and spleen, as well as a broken nose and ribs. Malkowski and his friend also fractured the man’s eye socket.
Malkowski has been handed a 19-month prison sentence and police are now hoping to find and send him back so he can serve his time.
Do you recognise this man?Wanted in #Poland,possibly hiding in #Croydon or #Lambeth http://t.co/t7eWduJrG7 #OpSunfire pic.twitter.com/olWaukLyeb
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 4, 2015
Police believe the criminals may be in Croydon or Lambeth.
Another criminal also believed to be hiding in the same boroughs as Malkowski, is Ochecki, also known to some as Tomaz Baniak.
After a number of assaults in his home country between 2004 and 2007, he now has a prison sentence of two years, five months and 28 days to serve back home.
In 2004, when Ochecki, was 19, he stole a calculator from a man in Sieradz along with another suspect. They did not leave it with the robbery and punched the victim in the back of his head.
In order to steal someone’s phone, they assaulted another victim four days later.
Three years later, in 2007, Ochecki and another criminal attacked another man in Sieradz, for no reason.
Detective Sergeant Peter Rance, who is leading the operation, told the Croydon Guardian: “We believe that these people are dangerous, so taking them out of our communities and putting them before the courts is of paramount importance.”
“I urge the public to look closely at these pictures. Do you recognise these men? It may be that they live next door to you, or you see them regularly elsewhere in your community.”
“If you have information on their whereabouts, please tell Crimestoppers, so that we can arrest them. If you see them, call 999 and do not approach them.”