British Airways pilot kidnapped and tortured as he went shopping on his own on a stopover between flights
A BRITISH Airways pilot was kidnapped and tortured as he went shopping on his own on a stopover between flights.
The First Officer was approached by a woman in a supermarket car park who asked him to help carry her bags to her car.
But when they reached the vehicle, a group of men pushed him inside.
The unnamed pilot was driven to a remote area of Johannesburg where he was “badly roughed up”.
He eventually handed over “thousands and thousands of pounds”.
He was unfit to fly the plane back to London from Johannesburg, and a replacement had to be drafted in.
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The pilot has been off work since the ordeal and has been supported by colleagues.
A source said: “It’s staggering what happened to the pilot.
“It was like something out of the movies.
“He fell for the scam of agreeing to help a woman in need, and before he knew it was bundled in a vehicle and driven away.
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“He then endured hours of torture and physical assaults.
“It only ended when he was left penniless.
“He is just happy to be alive.
“The incident has shaken crew.”
The airline bans staff from certain parts of the city.
But the crew hotel is in Melrose Arch — meant to be the safest area.
A BA alert sent to staff said: “A crew member was abducted outside Checkers Bluebird supermarket just north of the Melrose Arch complex.”
British Airways told The Sun: "We are supporting our colleague and the local authorities with their investigation."