A British Airways pilot was allegedly tortured after he was kidnapped while shopping during a layover in South Africa.
The British newspaper Sun reported that the pilot was released after his money was taken. According to this newspaper, British Airways employees were informed that their colleague had been kidnapped in front of a supermarket. An unnamed source said that what happened to the pilot was astonishing and that everything was like in the movies.
The pilot was approached by a woman in the parking lot of a supermarket in Johannesburg’s Melrose Arch shopping area, asking him to help her carry her bags.
When they got to her vehicle, a group of men pushed the pilot into the vehicle and drove him to another part of the city, where they seriously injured him.
Since he was unable to fly the plane, a replacement pilot was found for the flight to London.
“He fell for a scam, so he agreed to help a woman in need. Before he realized it was a scam, he was put into a vehicle and taken away. Then he suffered physical torture for hours. It all ended only when he ran out of money. He is happy that he remained alive,” said an unnamed source.
The airline said it was supporting the colleague, as well as the authorities in the investigation of this case, but did not provide further details, reports Sky News.