A British Airways pilot was tortured after being kidnapped while shopping during a layover in South Africa.
The pilot was subjected to hours of torture, Sky News reports.
The airline said it was supporting local authorities in their investigation, but did not provide further details.
A source familiar with the case claims that the pilot was only released after he ran out of money.
A signal was then sent to the airline that a crew member had been kidnapped outside a supermarket.
"It's shocking what happened to the pilot. It was like something out of the movies,” the source added.
The pilot was approached by a woman in a supermarket car park north of Johannesburg's Melrose Arch complex who asked him to help her with her bags.
When they reached her car, it was pushed inside by a group of men and driven to a remote part of town.
The pilot was unable to fly the aircraft back to London.
“He fell for the trick of agreeing to help a woman in need and before he knew it, he was loaded into a vehicle and kidnapped. He is happy to be alive,” the source said. /BGNES