The victim was lured from Belgium to London by a trap and released after the kidnappers discovered only 7 euros in cryptocurrencies.
A kidnapping ended unusually in London after a gang released their victim upon discovering that he was not who he claimed to be. Quentin Cepeljac, a 21-year-old Belgian barber known for serving football stars in his country, was attacked and held captive for nine hours after being mistaken for a cryptocurrency billionaire — a persona he himself cultivated on social media.
The case occurred in May last year, but it came to light following a recent trial at the Isleworth Crown Court in the UK, according to information from The Times website. The trap began when Cepeljac met the young Belgian Davina Raaymakers, 20, through TikTok and Instagram.
Seduced by the luxurious lifestyle she claimed to have, and after stating that he was a successful cryptocurrency trader, he accepted the invitation to spend a weekend with her in London.
On May 5, upon arriving in the English capital, Quentin was taken to an apartment in Shepherd’s Bush under the pretense that the initially agreed luxury property was unavailable. As soon as he entered, he was surprised and assaulted by a gang led by Adlan Haji, Raaymakers' boyfriend, and other accomplices.
The gang assaulted him and threatened him with knives, initially demanding a transfer of 500,000 euros. Upon learning that he only had 6.71 euros in cryptocurrencies, they lowered the demand to 50,000 euros and later accepted the 2,000 euros he had in his bank account. Raaymakers, who had helped set up the meeting, left the scene shortly after the assaults began.
During the kidnapping, Quentin was forced to call a friend in Belgium asking for money. The friend, suspicious, alerted the Belgian police, who contacted the central office. Unable to extract significant amounts or cryptocurrencies from the victim, the kidnappers returned his passport and cellphone and left him at the train station.
Upon arriving at the police station, Quentin cooperated with the police, who accompanied him to the apartment where he had been held hostage. The location had already been cleaned with bleach, but investigators managed to track the perpetrators through cell phone data, Airbnb records, and footage from local cameras.
The court identified those involved: in addition to Raaymakers and Haji, Alexander Khalil, 30, and Omar Sharif, 24, participated — the latter had to leave the scene before the end of the criminal act due to restrictions from his electronic ankle monitor. All admitted participation in the blackmail and await sentencing.
Detective Jim Holland from the Flying Squad said, “we have never had a situation like this before, a person arrested in the UK who came from abroad and went through this,” as described by the DailyMail website about the case. Prosecutor Nicola Shannon stated that the accused should receive long prison sentences.
Cryptocurrency kidnappings
Cryptocurrency traders have been alarmed in recent months by reports of kidnappings, attempted kidnappings, and gruesome attacks. Prominent targets include Ledger co-founder David Balland, who was kidnapped in January with his wife and had his finger severed and sent to associates, along with a ransom demand. They were rescued by the police after 24 hours.
Dozens of suspects were arrested in France in connection with other recent cryptocurrency-related attacks, in addition to a kidnapping case involving a man in New York City due to his Bitcoin that recently made headlines.
Last month, Tim Heath, a well-known investor in the crypto sector, reported an attempted kidnapping in an Estonian court when he was ambushed outside his apartment last year by individuals posing as painters. As the criminals acted, Heath also reacted and bit off part of an aggressor's finger.
