2024-01-14 22:40:00
A pilot of the British airline, British Airways, was kidnapped and tortured during a layover in Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to a report by the “Sun” newspaper, the kidnapping occurred after a woman approached the pilot in the parking lot of the supermarket he visited between flights. The woman asked the officer to help her carry bags to her car. The pilot agreed and by the time they got to her car, a group of people pushed him inside and drove him to a secluded place outside the city.
The hijackers beat the pilot, tortured him and only agreed to release him after he gave them thousands of pounds. “He endured hours of torture and physical assaults,” said one of his colleagues. “It only ended when he was left penniless. What happened to him is shocking. The incident shook the team, it was like a movie. He fell victim to a plot when he agreed to help a woman and before he realized what was happening he was put in a car and driven away. He is just happy that he remained alive.” said.
British Airways prohibits its crews from reaching certain areas in Johannesburg. The hotel where the pilot stayed with the rest of the crew, located in a complex called “Melrose Arch”, is supposed to be the safest part of the city. The airline confirmed in an official statement that one of its people was kidnapped outside the closed area of Melrose Arch and added that it supports the pilot and the local authorities who are investigating the incident.
Following the hijacking, the pilot was unfit to fly the plane back to London and was replaced by another pilot.
According to police data, in 2014 there were 4,306 kidnapping cases in South Africa, and in 2023 no less than 15,342 similar cases were reported.
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