A British Airways pilot was kidnapped and tortured during a layover in Johannesburg, South Africa. The pilot was approached by a woman outside the Checkers Bluebird supermarket, who tricked him into helping her carry her bags to her car.
A group of men then bundled him into the vehicle and drove him to an unfamiliar part of the city, where he was beaten up and forced to hand over his cash.
The unnamed pilot was subjected to hours of torture and physical assaults before being released penniless. The ordeal left him badly shaken, and he has been unable to fly his plane since.
British Airways has warned its staff against going to some areas of Johannesburg and has sent an alert to its employees regarding the incident. The airline is supporting its colleague and local authorities with their investigation.
In a similar incident, a British Airways crew was robbed at gunpoint in Johannesburg in 2018, prompting the airline to suspend its flights to the city for a while.
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