A 20-year-old British woman has spoken out after allegedly being drugged and kidnapped in Milan with the intention of being “sold” on the Dark Web.
Model Chloe Ayling says she was abducted on July 11, after being lured to the Italian city under the false pretense of a photo shoot.
In a horrifying statement made to Italian police, she claims a man wearing black gloves came up from behind and covered her mouth, while another injected her with ketamine.
“When I woke up I was wearing a pink bodysuit and the socks I’m in now,” Ayling said.
“I realised I was in the boot of a car, with my wrists and ankles tied and my mouth taped. I was inside a bag, with only a small hole that allowed me to breathe.”
She was allegedly transported in a bag to the town of Borgial, some 190 kilometres west of Milan.
It is believed she was held captive there for six days, as her captors allegedly attempted to sell her for $380,000 in Bitcoin and tried to extract a ransom from her agent.
Her agency reportedly contacted police, and subsequently negotiated a ransom with her alleged kidnappers. It is currently unclear if the ransom was paid.
She was allegedly shackled to a chest of drawers in the building before a member of the kidnapping group released her to the British consulate in Milan. She has since returned to her South London home, and has been in continual contact with British and Italian authorities.
The Mail Online has published the contents of a letter allegedly sent to Ayling after her release, which claims the group responsible for her ordeal – Black Death Group – released her due to their apparent code of ethics.
The letter states her release was “a huge generosity”, and that “a mistake was made by capturing you, especially considering you are a young mother that should have in no circumstances be lured into kidnapping.”
Speaking to The Sun, Ayling said “I was not meant to be taken because the boss had seen my Instagram profile which clearly showed that I was a mum with a young boy and this went against the rules of the organisation.”
Italian police announced that British-Polish man Lukasz Herba, the man believed to have been the ‘photographer’, had been arrested.
via Policia di Stato.He’s facing charges related to kidnapping and extortion, and was reportedly found to be in possession of a Black Death Group pamphlet at the time of his arrest. Italian authorities say he had previously advertised young women online as “prey”, but it was unclear if he had actually kidnapped anyone else.
Herba will reportedly face court in autumn.
Francesco Pesce, Ayling’s lawyer, said police were looking for three or four accomplices, and that “I hope they find them soon as this could be very dangerous for other girls.”
Italian authorities confirmed they’re in contact with British police as investigations continue.
