A British Airways pilot on a stopover in South Africa was reportedly kidnapped, tortured and beaten by robbers who emptied his bank accounts.
The first officer was forced to hand over thousands of pounds and was left badly shaken by the incident.
The attack happened while the pilot was spending two days in Johannesburg with the rest of his crew and is the second serious assault on British Airways staff in the city in six months.
The five-hour attack began when the first officer left a secure private development where the crew were staying, to go to a nearby supermarket.
When he returned to the compound a woman asked if he could help load her shopping.
He was then approached by masked men who forced him into the back of the vehicle and drove him to a house where he was kept prisoner and assaulted as the gang tried to access his bank accounts.
“It’s staggering what happened to the pilot. It was like something out of the movies," a source told The Sun.
“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.
“He then endured hours of torture and physical assaults. It only ended when he was left penniless. He is just happy to be alive.”
British Airways uniforms through the years - in pictures
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A cabin crew member stands under the nose of a BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation, which would eventually become British Airways) jet in 1946. Getty Images -
Jamaican flight attendants at Heathrow Airport in 1965. Getty Images -
British Airways air hostesses in 1975. Getty Images -
Models display the various styles of new uniform in 1977. Getty Images -
A British Airways cabin crew member in 1988. Getty Images -
Models Imogen Waterhouse and Lizzy Jagger take part in a British Airways fashion shoot in Hong Kong in 2016. Getty Images -
A British Airways heritage uniform fashion show during Milan Fashion Week in 2017. Getty Images -
British Airways cabin crew pose in their uniforms in 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth II meets BA cabin crew in 2019. Getty Images -
British Airways staff at Heathrow Airport in 2019. Getty Images -
The new British Airways uniform, the first in nearly 20 years, is unveiled in January 2023. PA
According to the UK government's latest travel advice, South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and “violent crime can take place anywhere, including in tourist destinations and transport hubs”.
According to official figures show there are about 75 murders each day in South Africa, compared with about two per day in England and Wales.
Due to the threat from crime, British Airways has imposed strict rules on crew staying in Johannesburg that includes them not leaving their secure compound.
A British Airways captain was stabbed in the leg after going for a run between flights in the city in July 2023.
The pilot had been staying at the same Melrose Arch compound, north of the city in the financial district, when he went for a run and was held up at gunpoint. During a struggle, the pilot was stabbed.
“We are supporting our colleague and the local authorities with their investigation," A BA spokesman said following the latest attack.
